Letter to the Legislative Editor:

Happy holidays, Dr. Glazer! I read, with interest your Legislative Column entitled " What Makes Something a Nursing Activity or Task" written in June of 2000. I feel that turf and overlap issues in nursing activities or tasks will be partially settled when nursing as a professional group comes to an agreement that the bachelor's degree should be entry level for nursing practice today. Somehow, the academics must find a way to convince those of us in the trenches that reducing educational layers (multiple degrees) will be in the best long-term interest for nursing and for our patients.

Many nurses are not convinced that advancing their formal education is necessary for one reason for another. In particular, it is difficult to convince LPN's and nurses who hold Associate Degrees of the value of furthering their education. Many of them went to nursing school with an emphasis on job security as opposed to seeking a career. Additionally, many employers, depending on the region of the country, do not necessarily consider educational preparation in job postings and promotions. Also it does not seem to me that managed care has served to narrow the cultural wedge between academics and front line nurses. I think we still, in many respects, treat each other with a certain amount of distrust and disrespect.

Anonymous RN

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Reply by author Greer Glazer

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