‘A Profession That’s Ailing’

We, the members of the Orange County/Long Beach Consortium for Nursing, would like to express our appreciation of your timely article, “Nursing: A Profession That’s Ailing” (May 4). That you published the article on the front page indicates your awareness of the seriousness of the current nursing shortage and the implication that it has for patient and health care.

We agree there are issues of concern and out of that concern have formed a task force to address issues of recruitment and retention in both nursing education programs, as well as in the profession.

A major difficulty in recruitment of individuals into nursing is adequate counseling. It is vital that those of us who are in nursing advise others that the profession is not only challenging but is also a career with great rewards and versatility.

Those who should be recruited into the profession are individuals who have those rare attributes that enable them to effectively care for patients, as well as care about them.

ANDREA L. HANNON,

Secretary

Orange County/Long Beach Consortium for Nursing