I was very delighted to read the article "Nursing Education and Professional Practice: A Collaborative Approach to Enhance Retention" by Velinda Block, MSN, RN, and Darlene Sredl, PhD, RN, in the January/February 2006 issue of the Journal for Nurses in Staff Development. I found the article to contain a lot of excellent strategies that will help recruit and retain our much needed nurses in the healthcare system. Although I found the entire article very informative and enlightening, one thing that related to me most was a section that stated "students who are allowed to learn within a diversified professional environment, function autonomously, and experience approval from the professional workforce tend to want to duplicate these experiences in their professional endeavors." Reading this article made me look back at when I attended nursing school and recall my clinical experience, which was not a very positive one.

As student nurses, we were usually given assignments that were not really relevant to the real world of nursing, such as making beds, providing baths, turning and positioning, or maybe caring for only one patient for the entire day. These assignments by far are not insignificant, but they really do not allow the student nurse to learn proper assessments, gain critical thinking skills, or allow them [SIC] to have the ability to prioritize tasks. Because of the lack of communication between educators and nurse managers, when we were on the unit, we were not really welcomed; many nurses were frustrated with the fact that they would have to assist the students plus their workload for patients. Because of that, it tainted the experience. As student nurses, we were often rushed, ignored, and not supported. Although this has not had a major impact on my nursing career, I do feel that situations like the one stated before may contribute to the many negative statements about nursing (e.g., "nurses eat their young"). This may also make the student nurse apprehensive about the idea of working because of such a negative experience (if it occurred to them). With the current nursing shortage issue affecting our healthcare system, this article addresses a very important point about education and administration merging together to provide sound education and supportive nurse-friendly environments to encourage and empower current nurses to do their best and to attract others into this wonderful career we call nursing!

Krisy E. Richard Brooklyn, NY

Krisy E. Richard

Brooklyn, NY