I've been a nurse for five years, the majority of which has been spent working in ambulatory surgery care where I encounter a minimum of 12 patients and their family members a day. At no point during or after nursing school was I told to disclose to patients both my first and last name along with my job title and responsibilities ("The Professional Introduction," Viewpoint, June). The article states that some nurses are opposed to using their full names for safety reasons. However, I feel as though using my full name could be construed as being less personal. I have a tendency to shorten my name to "Jenn." If I were to tell patients my name is Jennifer Murray, I would feel like I was putting up a wall by not allowing my patients to call me by the name I prefer.

I understand building trust with patients is an important part of nursing. Disclosing nursing credentials is one thing-trust can be built when patients or family members know that a nurse is qualified to provide the type of care that is needed. But as a nursing leader, I would not want nurses to feel obligated to disclose their full names in fear of poor patient satisfaction ratings, when other research, along with professional experience, hasn't shown this to be a strong factor in patient satisfaction and trust.

Jennifer Murray, BSN, RN

Fredericksburg, TX