I feel the need to respond to Steven Michaud of the Maine Hospital Association regarding the ongoing shortage of hospital nurses. I have 24 years on the front lines of nursing, working as a nurse in hospital, long-term care facilities, and home health. I have been a staff nurse and a nurse manager so I have some understanding of the perspectives of both sides of this debate. Michaud apparently believes it is too costly to provide non-latex gloves; I ask how many people need to have allergic reactions to latex before the cost-benefit ratio works to protect all involved, patient as well as nurse, or, heavens, physician?

The really perplexing quote was the one concerning how he felt nursing is a “career that has meaning, is honorable and is a satisfying profession.” I wonder, do you think that these ideals may be the very reasons so many nurses are leaving the profession or reducing the amount of hours they choose to work? Nursing is all that Michaud said, and more. However, when nurses see patients leaving the hospital sooner and sicker, it leaves very little time to teach what they need to know.

I found his remarks insulting. This is too complicated a problem to resort to jaded maxims appealing to nurses’ consciences. We didn’t go into nursing for the money, although that is better now. We find that these things, a career with honor, meaning and satisfaction just isn’t there anymore.

Robert L. Simpson, RN, BA

Columbia Falls