Denise Rab-Wilson wonders whether there's a future for nursing if we continue to be absent from policymaking ("Nurses Are Missing from Health Care Policy," Viewpoint, January). We have belabored the reasons we haven't been more involved in policy; as Rab-Wilson notes, we rally for better pay and staffing, yet we fail to take in the bigger picture. But education could help ignite a spark. Baccalaureate and graduate education encourage thinking beyond the here and now. We must, as individuals and a profession, make the effort to be involved, no matter how minimally, and realize that participation over time makes the difference. Who better to help improve health care policies than nurses?

Bader Peters Reynolds, MS, RN

Utica, NY

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