The study results discussed in this article were not surprising. But at least things have improved since the old days. Nursing has come a long way, and we're now better educated than ever. The professional relationship between any coworkers is dependent upon the competency, mutual respect, and capacity for collaboration of each party.

I have worked with some physicians who don't warrant my respect or cooperation. More than once, a physician treated me poorly, but it turned out that I was right and the physician hadn't paid attention to details, assuming he was correct because he valued his degree more than mine. But nurses are with patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it behooves the treatment team members to listen to what the nurses are telling them about their patients.

I was fortunate to have been a nurse in the military, where the nurse-physician relationship is very good. There we relate to each other as fellow officers, and our rank structure helps to guide how we treat each other. Mutual respect is the same in any relationship-you earn it. There are some physicians-and nurses, unfortunately-for whom I have absolutely no respect. They are in the profession for the prestige, easy money, and guaranteed job.

Hopefully this study will provide useful ideas that will improve future relationships between nurses and physicians.

Karen Wall, BSN, RN-BC

Loma Linda, CA