The title of nurse is being misused in proliferating job titles in the NHS. Misleading ‘nurse’ designations undermine the nursing profession by underplaying the skills, knowledge and education required to register as a nurse. Misidentifying non-registered roles risks the downgrading of jobs that should be the domain of qualified nurses, and obscures nurse staffing shortages in the perception of patients and the wider public. Legal protection for the nurse title should be a priority.