I was moved by the dedication and compassion Marie E. Lasater showed to her patients in the November 2008 Reflections, "Heads and Beds." As a nursing student, and most recently a nurses' aide, I've struggled with my frustration at the situation Lasater describes: so many patients and too few nurses and medical staff. In my previous career in sales and marketing, I was accustomed to having the necessary tools to do my job. The companies for which I worked emphasized that this was crucial to customer satisfaction and, ultimately, the company's success.

I've always assumed that the people running hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities understood this basic tenet of team development and customer satisfaction. Inadequate resources have made it difficult for hospitals to bridge the gap between the bottom line and patient care, which often comes at a cost to nurses and patients alike.

Jonathan Born

Steubenville, OH