NurseWeek readers from across the country share
their thoughts on articles that inspired them
and issues that moved them.
Submit your letter by clicking
here. Please use the name of the
article you are responding to as the subject of
your e-mail. Unless otherwise noted, all letters
may be edited and published.
Please include your full name, hometown and
state, and healthcare credentials. Brief and articulate
messages are more likely to be published.
June 7, 2004
Christie Osuagwu states in her letter “Nurses
need to make business their business” (May
10) that “the curriculum of nursing education
needs to be reviewed, reevaluated, and redesigned
to include business courses.” I agree.
I want readers to know that there are nursing
education programs such as she proposes. The generic
MSN at the University of Phoenix includes the
following required courses: Impact of E-Health,
Health Care Organizations, Dynamics of Nursing
Administration, Financial Management for Nurse
Managers, Quality and Database Management, and
Healthcare Infrastructure.
It also offers a dual MSN/MBA in health care
management degree. With campuses throughout the
United States, including a growing online campus,
the University of Phoenix is continually updating
its curricula to meet the needs of today’s
work environment.
DARLENE HESS, RN, PhD
area chair for nursing, University of Phoenix
Albuquerque, N.M.
Bobbie Wiles, RN, (“ICU’s
Gatekeepers,” May 10) cared
for my husband while he was in treatment for Guillain-Barrè
syndrome at Banner Mesa ICU. We live two hours
south of the Phoenix area, so it was an expense
and hardship to visit as much as we would like
to during his two-week hospitalization.
Our son resided in Chandler at the time. One
day, he had a wreck on his bicycle on his way
to visit his dad. He took the bus for the remainder
of the route to Banner Mesa. His leg was swollen
above the ankle. Nurse Wiles assessed his need
for care and arranged for him to go to the ER.
Later that evening, she also arranged for our
son to be transported home to Chandler (with his
bicycle!).
Because of Bobbie’s extra TLC, my husband
was able to enjoy the company of family that day.
Nurse Wiles also encouraged and informed our son
about the opportunities for a career in the health
industry, which he is considering. Nurse Wiles
and the Banner Mesa staff kept their eyes open
to more than the immediate medical needs of my
husband during a frightening illness.
JANE CANON, RN
Ajo, Ariz.
Your article “Art
and Soul” (April 26) was inspiring.
So many of us fail to live another life outside
of nursing because of its fast pace. Nurses are
not only medical professionals, but parents, somebody’s
child, a student, or even someone with two other
jobs outside of nursing.
The concept of art and soul in a nurse’s
life can oftentimes be a fantasy or an impossibility.
We have to make time and want this art and soul
in order to get it.
Art and soul should be a part of all nurses’
lives. We deserve a great break from all the work
and pressure we go through.
JEAN MAWAK, RN, BSN
Bellflower, Calif.
