Letter: Upgrade for nurses overdue

Regarding "Law would require nurses to get bachelor's" [News, Dec. 31], it's about time!

When I graduated in 1980 from Adelphi University with my first degree, a bachelor's in nursing, I was told how smart I was to get the degree because any day now there would be legislation mandating a bachelor's for registered nurses. Well, 30 years and three degrees later (I am pursuing a PhD in nursing at CUNY), I am still waiting for that mandate.

Every other profession that I know of requires a bachelor's degree for practice. Even physical therapists require an advanced degree for entry. Nursing has taken way too long to upgrade itself to the next degree for the 21st century.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine support the advancement of nursing through advanced education. I teach in an associate's degree program, and I encourage every one of my students to continue their education, as I have. The evidence proves that the care rendered by bachelor-prepared nurses results in better outcomes for the patients, and we all know that better outcomes are more cost-effective.

Joy Borrero, Bayport