Thankful for the publishing opportunity
The May issue of Nursing2018 gave me a most delightful surprise. As I read through it, I zeroed in on the Nurses Week tribute, looked at the byline and saw my name ("Nurses Week Tribute: What a Patient Taught Me about Nursing"). Thank you for the encouragement to write and publish. Featuring my article as a Nurses Week tribute was an honor. I hope the other articles I've published in Nursing in recent years have inspired other nurses in their quest for excellence in patient care.
-JOSEFINA INOTURAN ALEJANDRO, DNP, RN
GULFPORT, MISS.
Too much for a nursing student?
A recent article described the experience of a nursing student who cared for a patient who'd just delivered a stillborn baby ("Shouldering a Patient's Pain," Student Voices, January 2018). I was dismayed to think any nursing instructor would assign an inexperienced student to a patient who'd tragically delivered a premature stillborn. A student should experience the normal birthing experience as a beginner and learn firsthand how to care for patients whose pregnancies and deliveries were uncomplicated. The assignments can become more complex with experience.
I've been a reader of your fine journal since 1974 and consider it to be the best nursing journal around. Keep up the good work.
-ELIZABETH A. PLEASANTS, RN
SAN FERNANDO, CALIF.
Key to solving the opioid crisis
As both an RN and someone who's suffered from severe chronic pain for nearly 2 decades, I feel that the individuals who are most qualified to manage chronic pain and to help end this crisis are rarely, if ever, mentioned. I'm speaking about board-certified pain specialists. Rescinding the authority of physician assistants, NPs, and physicians who aren't board-certified in pain management to refill opioid medications should be a first step in ending the widespread abuse of opioids. Perhaps Nursing could publish an article about board-certified pain specialists and how they can help end this crisis.
-MARY LOU SHOOKHOFF, BSN
ARLINGTON, VA.