Authors

  1. Duke, Wendelyn M. RN

Article Content

Nina F. Geiger's Viewpoint about the expected changes to Medicare that will link a portion of reimbursement to patient satisfaction surveys was especially interesting to me ("On Tying Medicare Reimbursement to Patient Satisfaction Surveys," July).

 

As a recent nursing school graduate about to embark on my nursing career, I couldn't help but wonder whether this new reimbursement mandate will also influence hospitals' willingness to allow nursing students to provide direct patient care. This might be especially true in this day of short-term hospital stays, when a patient could potentially receive most of her or his direct care from a student nurse.

 

Let's hope that whatever changes occur, they won't result in a less robust clinical experience for future student nurses.

 

Wendelyn M. Duke, RN

 

Ijamsville, MD