Dear Ann Landers, I agree with your correspondent who was upset that a male technician was going to do her breast exam without a female attendant being present. I was also shocked that the hospital was bold enough to state in a letter that male technicians routinely did unchaperoned breast exams. I am reasonably certain the hospital will change this practice after receiving its first lawsuit for sexual harassment or improper touching.
I am a busy male gynecologist and would never do a breast exam on any patient, regardless of age, without a female attendant present to protect her dignity and my integrity. Thank you, Ann, for your understanding. -- Brian L. Finkel, D.O., FACOG, Phoenix
Dear Dr. Finkel, I cannot imagine a male technician who handles women's breasts all day getting his jollies from the process. If there is such a person, he should find other work before someone throws a net over him. You were good to write, Dr. Finkel, and I thank you.
Dear Ann Landers, I am writing in response to your column from nurses who are fed up. It is sad, but not surprising, that nurses are so unhappy and dissatisfied. For decades, nursing has been devalued because of outdated attitudes and prevailing myths. Although nurses care for the most vulnerable and the sickest members of our society, they must continuously fight for the basic tools to do their job: authority, recognition and respect. The financial rewards aren't all that great, either.
Most nurses begin their careers passionate about nursing. They are thrilled with the opportunity to make a significant difference in people's lives. Nurses care for patients when they are most vulnerable. They deal with major life events: birth and death. They are the backbone of the health-care system, outnumbering physicians four to one. The nurse is there to calm the fears of a middle-aged man the night before his bypass surgery; to prevent bedsores in a terminally ill patient; to help a young man with AIDS deal with the rejection of his family; to teach a mother confined to a wheelchair how to care for her children. Yet nurses are expected to accept working conditions that are often intolerable: long working hours, casual rather than permanent positions and unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios. Is it any wonder dissatisfaction and frustration are so widespread?
The future looks grim. We are facing a severe shortage of nurses that threatens to undermine the health-care system. We need to change working conditions to retain those nurses who are currently in the system and attract the brightest and best. And we had better hurry before it's too late. -- L.G.N., Ph.D., Montreal, Quebec
Dear Montreal, Your signature surprised me. I didn't realize the nursing crisis was as bad in Canada as it is in the United States. I've had a ton of letters with a litany of complaints. The profession is clearly in a state of jeopardy. And now, I would like some suggestions on how to fix it.
Dear Ann Landers, You recently printed a job description for nurses dating from the 19th century. The writer gave the erroneous impression that nursing is a lot easier today than it was then. He is wrong.
After 20 years as a nurse, I've seen tremendous changes in both duties and ethics. Today, nurses must be educated and continue to keep up-to-date on technical advances and procedures. There are discoveries almost daily that affect how illness, wounds and trauma are treated. Nurses must learn how to operate newly invented devices that improve the care of patients.
Today, a nurse must be a facilitator, educator, caregiver, confessor and manager. She must also have intelligence, compassion and intuition. Years ago, the nurse fulfilled the role of what would be a nurse's assistant today. Now, nurses handle more duties so the physician can concentrate on the more complicated situations. We are no longer menial servants, as that century-old job description would indicate, but highly educated, highly skilled medical professionals working to bring the best care to each person who seeks our help.
I do not claim that nurses are one rung down from sainthood, but we're close. -- New Jersey R.N.
Dear Ann Landers, You have printed several letters from nurses who said their job is difficult, back-breaking and unrewarding. While I agree this is not the easiest work in the world, I feel privileged to be a nurse because I can make a difference in the lives of people when they need it most. I am honored to be a member of this noble profession and am sure there are thousands of others like me. -- Becky in Charleston, S.C.
Dear Becky, Thank you for your touching letter. I recently received this poem from the Faxton Hospital Foundation in Utica, N.Y., which the nurses in my reading audience will find inspiring:
What Is a Nurse?
by Ann E. Coupe
A nurse is a very special person, who
Never fails to place the needs of patients first, whose
Unique gentleness and depth of love are selflessly given: a
Radiant and humane person, dedicated to caring for the sick: that
Special bridge between physician and patient so vital to recovery.
Ever loving, ever giving, a nurse is the orchid of God's flowers.
And now, dear readers, what follows is the last corsage I am pinning on the nurse's shoulder for several months to come. Here it is:
Dear Ann Landers, I am a postal clerk, and every day, I see many cards, letters and packages sent to our mail recovery center (formerly known as the dead letter branch) because people do not put return addresses on the items they mail.
I find it disturbing when mail that is undeliverable cannot be returned to the senders to let them know it didn't reach its destination. Think of the thank you notes, love letters, invitations and condolence cards that never got delivered because of illegible addresses. And imagine the hard feelings, disappointment, misunderstandings and broken relationships that resulted because senders didn't take the time to write their return addresses. When there is no acknowledgment of having received the gift, the sender assumes the recipient has poor manners.
This problem could be remedied so easily. Return address labels are inexpensive, and it takes only a minute to affix them. Please, Ann, do your readers and the Postal Service a favor by printing this letter. It really IS important. -- Concerned Postal Clerk in N. Dakota
Dear N. Dakota, I know a little something about mail and can sympathize with you. I hope your letter produces the desired results. Please, dear readers, pay attention to what this postal clerk is saying. It takes just a minute to print your return address in the upper left corner of the envelope or package or slap on the sticker. DO IT!
