Misleading View of Outside Nurses

John Johnson’s story “Nursing Registries Booming” (June 4) creates a somewhat misleading, and potentially alarming, picture of our use of nursing registry personnel by suggesting that those who lack adequate skills and training are in the majority.

In fact many of the registry personnel utilized by Kaiser Permanente are highly regarded and in some cases considered part of the nursing “family.”

The current nursing shortage has created a heavy reliance on agency personnel by most health care organizations and until the crisis is resolved that reliance will continue. While nursing registries are not a solution, they are nevertheless an integral part of today’s nursing picture. To depict them in such a uniformly negative light does a disservice to the entire nursing profession.

It is essential that the media portray a balanced viewpoint of nursing which would include focusing on the challenging, demanding, exciting and rewarding profession it truly is.

MARCIA SCANLAN

Panorama City

Scanlan is assistant administrator for nursing services at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Panorama City.