In "Are You Tired?" (First, Do No Harm, March) the authors suggest that fatigued nurses "not come to work or . . . go home and sleep." I work the 7 pm to 7 am shift on a neonatal intensive care unit. As the mother of a two-year-old, I'm often extremely tired at work, but I don't know of many hospitals that would allow such a solution, given the current nursing shortage. If I stayed home instead of going to work every time I felt tired, I wouldn't have a job. Another solution offered is for the nurse to "avoid involvement in direct patient care." This also doesn't seem realistic; the job of a staff nurse is direct patient care.

Carrie Semelsberger, BSN, RN

Huntington, NY