Diana Mason made me think of my own experience wishing to further my education but facing barriers put in place by leaders in nursing education. I graduated in Canada in the mid-1960s from a three-year diploma program in nursing. When I moved to Massachusetts in the 1970s, the state's board of nursing required me to take exams for registration. Two years later, I asked about enrolling in a nursing program in Boston and discovered that I would not be credited for my diploma or any courses I had taken over the years. I changed careers and became a social worker.

I still subscribe to AJN to keep up with trends in nursing. Perhaps if there had been a little foresight in earlier decades, more nurses would have considered additional education. I support education, but nursing leadership must bear the responsibility of making it available.

D. Ann MacDonald, LCSW, RN, BCD

Colorado Springs, CO