I'm writing in regard to the article titled, "Where Are the Visionary Nursing Leaders of 1965?" (Viewpoint, April). When the "American Nurses' Association's First Position on Education for Nursing"1 was published 50 years ago in AJN, it said that the "minimum preparation for beginning technical nursing practice" should be an associate's degree education, and the "minimum preparation for beginning professional nursing practice[horizontal ellipsis] should be baccalaureate degree education in nursing."
What is wrong with being a technical nurse? I have been a diploma nurse for a long time and have never been told that I am not professional or that I lack the qualities of a professional nurse. We have all taken the boards and passed and have the license of an RN.
We each have the right to be the type of nurse we want to be. Forcing the diploma and associate's degree nurses to go back to school is like saying that their years of experience and technical skill are not enough, and that courses such as history, foreign languages, and physical education will better prepare us to help our patients in a time of crisis.
Embrace these diploma and associate's degree nurses for the skills and years of experience they have and, if they are lacking either, encourage them to seek higher learning without alienating them from our profession.
Dawn Tanis, RN
New Bern, NC
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