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 Last modified June 9, 2004  

Letters to the Editor

The Standard

Just writing to tell you that I really like the new format for our newsmagazine. It’s informative, easy to look at, interesting and, most of all, easy to read. Reading the Communiqué felt like penance; reading The Standard makes me feel like I am part of a profession that cares about its members and our need to keep informed about what we (as a profession) are up to.

Thank you for the addition of lots of colour. We are not a drab, colourless group, and we deserve to have our magazine reflect this fact. Articles written by freelancers, such as the one by Helen Keeler, are actually interesting and not filled with the elitist lingo commonly found in the writing style of nurse communicators. I look forward to the next edition.

– Maureen Dixon, RN Stratford, ON

 

I think the new magazine is great. Much more appealing to read than the Communiqué ever was.

– Elizabeth Haugh, RN, MScN (admin.) Windsor

 

Just wanted to give you kudos on the new format. Well done. It is much more user-friendly, the print is easier to read and it has more of a “human” feel to it. Much less cold and formal. Great Stuff! I enjoyed reading it.

– Sharon Kalich RN, BScN Via E-mail

 

Bravo on the premiere of The Standard! It’s bright, succinct and presents a great layout.

It provides not just informative, but interesting, articles and reflections pertinent to the world of nursing. I’m looking forward to the next issue.

– Patricia Thajer RN, BScN Whitby, ON

 

Personal Choices and the Regulated Professional (March 2004)

I was disappointed with the article Personal Choices and the Regulated Professional because, for me, it lacked the human side of emotions and touch that we as humans and professionals deal with every day. We, as a profession, need to keep in touch with our human caring aspect of the “self” to become the professional caregivers that we say we are. I also teach ethics and have had a great deal of experience with ethical issues as a front-line staff nurse. Sometimes, I have been amazed at the skill level of my colleagues, and at other times, I have been truly devastated. What we need not forget is that we share the experiences that our clients do, from birth to death and everything in between. As professional caregivers, we need to uncover the mask that we all create to protect ourselves from the everyday emotional upheaval that we face at the front-line to become the empathetic and professional nurses that we strive to be.

– Nicole Tansil, RN, MEd Via E-mail

 

I thought the feature article was very timely. Although the article focuses primarily on the influence of the nurse’s behaviour on practice, there is no doubt that the image that nurses leave with the public, even in their private lives, can be damaging to the profession.

There seems to be more and more inappropriate conduct, in public and outside of working hours, by some of our nursing colleagues. It is troubling, since it sends a very negative message about nursing in general, not to mention what it says about the person, in terms of integrity and credibility.

– Johanne Mousseau, RN(EC), MSc Via E-mail

 

I am concerned about the wording used to describe respect for life, one of the core values of nursing (sidebar, Nursing’s Core Values, page 13, March, 2004). The definition could be interpreted as “pro-life.”

I hope that an alternative wording can be developed to remove the potential for misinterpretation and the forwarding of a specific agenda under the guise of CNO ethics.

– Lisa Connolly, RN(EC) Via E-mail

 

Dear Reader:

When the College defines respect for life as: “Human life is precious and needs to be respected, protected and treated with consideration,” it does so in the context of the nurse’s ethical and therapeutic relationship with the client, and includes consideration of the client’s quality of life.

It is not always easy to identify what human life is and what society wants, values and promotes in relation to human life. It is no less a challenge for health professionals, including nurses, to identify clearly their own values and beliefs related to human life, although doing so is important to providing ethical care to clients.

The College views respect for life as a core nursing value because it can often be a source of ethical dilemmas. In some instances, it can lead to conflict between the nurse’s personal beliefs and the client’s right to choose, for example, the withdrawal of nourishment or respiratory assistance.

The College does not provide opinions on specific medical and nursing interventions. Rather, it has identified values that are important in nursing, such as knowing and respecting the client’s personal values when providing care.

The practice standards Ethics and Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship are based on expert opinion and discussion from ethicists and philosophers. These documents provide a deeper discussion of the core nursing values. They include expectations for when the values are in question and guidelines for handling personal ethical dilemmas regarding a client’s treatment and care decisions. Paramount in dealing with ethical dilemmas is ensuring that the nurse respects the client’s values and does not impose her/his own values on the clients.

 

Corrections & Clarifications

Incorrect information about cardioversion appeared in You Asked Us (The Standard, March 2004, page 16.) A clarification appears in this issue of the You Asked Us column on pages 20 – 21.

Incomplete information appeared in the article New Entry-to-Practice Requirements: What do they mean for you? (The Standard, March 2004, page 21). The article should have included the sentence: “In addition, nurses who graduated and were registered in another Canadian jurisdiction prior to 2005 will not be affected by the change.”

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