Nurses object to Hartford Courant's portrayal of nursing as "custodial care"

March 25, 2003 -- In a letter to the Editor of The Hartford Courant, two Connecticut nurses objected to the portrayal of nurses in a March 9 Courant article by Hilary Waldman, The Nurses of 7-7. The Courant article effectively described the stress that chronic under-staffing causes for hospital nurses today. However, the letter by nurses Stella Kimball and Carolyn Clark noted that the article focused on the "custodial care" aspects of nursing. When in fact nurses are highly skilled professionals who save and improve their patients' lives through a scientific process of assessment and intervention.