COMMENT BY READERS PROS AND CONS

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OPEN LETTER TO VIRGINIA S. WARD Dear Virginia: In August, 1967, I finished the best five years of my nursing career doing what you “pre- dict for the professional nurse of the future” in your article “My Crystal Ball,” AORN Journal, October, 1967.

How exciting and fascinating those years were. They were filled with learning, chal- lenges and rewards. There were the amazing changes in patients as they learned to live with their disability; feelings of heartache for those patients who would forever be total care to their loving families who gave so willingly of their time; watching my personnel grow in understanding and knowledge of care required for each patient through group discussions and on-the-ward inservice; and taking time-when there was no time-to sit and talk with patients; with their family members and the social workers.

Here I learned that not only was every pa- tient an individual but so was each one of my personnel-all 88 of them. My role at this time was supervising nurse of a certified rehabilitation center in a general hospital.

Each day of those five years was filled, as 1 was coordinator, learner, teacher, organ- izer, hostess, liaison between our center and the public health nurse; liaison between the center and home: member of the team plan- ning a care program for each patient . . . with

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the doctor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, public health nurse, social worker, nurse who did bedside care, the patient and his family.

Now I am no longer the supervising nurse of our rehabilitation center but have returned to the OR “wearing a different hat,” that of supervisor of OR and CS. (Prior to going into rehabilitation nursing, I had been a staff OR nurse for ten years, the last half of which I planned, organized and taught our OR technician program. I graduated in 1938.)

Among my goals in the OR is to establish some of the principles of rehabilitation which begin as soon as the patient is put to bed: where every patient is an individual and hos- pital walls are not enough.

It is the right of every patient to main- tain his identity as an individual. As an in- dividual he has a name, feelings, wants to talk about these feelings, his fears and feats; wants answers to questions about himself and what is going to happen to him. He has a family-the members also have names, fears, feelings, questions; need assurance now and encouragement later, and need help with care plans. I feel the OR nurse can help fill some of these needs.

Having participated in what you “predict for the professional nurse of the future,” I

Continued on page 104

April 1968 103

AOHN Journal’s Editorial Committer. Caroline Rogers, Leona M . Fisher, Ruth Mrtzger, Lucy do Atkinson, Julir E . Miale, Journal editor, Rarbara Volpe, Frances E . R w s e r , Mabel Craw- ford , Judith S. Kroeger, Journal stag.

Myra K . Slavens, AORN’s Educutional Director talks with clinical instriirtors.

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Continued f r o m page 103 feel it can also be applied to the OR. It will give nursing here a deeper meaning that can only result in improved patient care. In this kind of environment there can never he an assembly line to replace the touch of one hand upon another’s hand: the symbol of mutual understanding one human gives an- other through touch communications.

Catherine Day Concord, Cal.

I believe the January issue had exciting, in- teresting, useful information for all branches and types of nursing in the OR. As a matter of fact, interested OR nurses are really excited about this issue.

Mabel Crawford Los Angeles, Cal.

Just a brief note to tell you how pleased we are with the January issue and the coverage you have given to the Congress.

Claire Plourde Boston, Mass.

1 have decided to discontinue my subscrip- tion to AORN Journal as I am no longer in the Army as an operating room technician. While I was in the Armed Forces I found your magazine to contain the most current. useful and informative articles possible on virtually all phases of the operating room in theory and practice. I congratulate you on publishing a monthly medical journal for the OR.

Best wishes for many years of success as AORN Journal continues striving to promote the highest professional standards possible among the personnel in the operating rooms of today across the IJ. S.

David Gregory

Letters t o the ed i to r should be kept as brief as poss ib le . A n o n y m i t y wi l l be preserved , i j requested, p rov ided the writer’s name arid address is g i ven .

104 AORN Journal