I identified with the 1983-84 cohort in James Bevill and colleagues' article "Educational Mobility in North Carolina: Who Will Teach Tomorrow's Nurses?" (Original Research, May) and wondered what all my classmates were doing and how many of the nurses with associate's degrees in this group have a story similar to mine.

I attended a two-year RN program, and after graduation I worked for several years at a major university hospital in the surgical and coronary care units and then as a school and office nurse. Years later, I decided to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) to "freshen up" my knowledge.

As I progressed through my BSN program, I realized that I had not been taught critical thinking skills in my previous training and that my rationale for nursing came exclusively from textbooks. Now I have gained confidence, and I'm excited about nursing research and evidence-based practice, community health and education, nursing leadership and management, nursing ethics, holistic nursing, and even legislative issues. I'm finishing up my last BSN class and looking forward to continuing with a master's program and eventually teaching nursing. My BSN education taught me that I have a lot to offer the nursing profession. Maybe I'll be teaching the nurses of tomorrow.

Karen Gardner, RN

Palmer, AK