I am a professional
I am appalled by the letter to the editor in the July issue regarding educational requirements for nurses. The fact that I graduated from an associate degree program does not make me a technician, as the letter writer believes.
I am an RN. I graduated from an accredited nursing school, and I passed the same State Boards that any nurse with a diploma, an ADN, or a BSN is required to pass. I am an Emergency Department nurse, which continually requires me to be up-to-date on current treatments and to be able to think quickly. I am required to be certified to provide care in acute, often life-threatening situations! And I am continually updating my knowledge and my skills.
Also, I do not feel that I am struggling with my identity as a nurse, and I do not have an image problem. I am very confident in who and what I am. I am a Registered Nurse, respected by my colleagues and the patients to whom I give my all. I am a professional.
Shirley A. Corlett, RN
Ashtabula, OH

New leaders for tomorrow
I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Cipriano for her positive comments on the role of the new Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) in her July editorial, “Tomorrow’s hope.” There has been some controversy about the creation of this new role, but I think it’s high time we, as nurses, take responsibility for the quality of care delivered to our patients.
CNLs are prepared to address many key issues, including high nurse attrition rates, work environment
issues, and the horizontal violence that (unfortunately) we all know exists in our profession. And new CNL graduates are researching topics such as our antiquated educational methods and strategies to increase the use of evidence-based nursing. Using the knowledge of CNLs, we all can institute innovative management strategies and flatten our hierarchical management configurations.
I know that all of us together can transform the healthcare environment. The status quo is not good enough. We must work to empower each other, our patients, and our communities. We can do it; after all, we are nurses.
Marjorie Pound, MSN, RN, CNL
Jacksonville, FL

Not so fast
I have some advice for the nurse who was attracted to her patient and asked for advice in “When does a nurse-patient relationship cross the line?” in the June issue.
Physical attraction aside, do not quit your job as a hospital nurse to work for an attorney! You have no idea if you would enjoy the work or have the ability to be a legal nurse consultant (LNC).
I took two expensive LNC classes and passed with flying colors. However, I quickly learned that I was not cut out for that type of work. Only one in four nurses succeeds as an LNC.
Nancy C. McCollom, RN
Twin Lake, MI

Coming to terms with the P value
I would like to thank Dr. Rempher for his article, “The P Value: What it Really Means,” in the May issue. Although I understand the desire to make research and research concepts clearer to practicing nurses, I believe Dr. Rempher may have inadvertently muddied the waters a bit.
It is true that the P value is the probability that the researcher obtained the results by chance. However, the P value is not set at any level; it is whatever the test statistic indicates it is. What is set by the researcher is the alpha level. As Dr. Rempher explains, this pre-set level reflects the investigator’s tolerance for a type I error.
I want to thank Dr. Rempher and his colleague for introducing these concepts to your readers, and I hope I have been able to contribute to the discussion.
Susan E. Shapiro, PhD, RN, CEN
San Francisco, CA

Author’s response:
I have found that using terms such as “fixed-level P value” or “P value threshold” in place of “alpha value” is helpful when explaining complex concepts, such as those associated with hypothesis testing. However, you are correct, and it is appropriate to replace the term “fixed-level P value” with “alpha value” when referring to the threshold value that is selected a priori and independent of the data.
Kenneth J. Rempher, PhD, RN, MBA, CCRN, APRN,BC

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