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To the Editor: Drs Berliner and Ginzberg¹ argued that the coming shortage of registered nurses (RNs) has unique features (ie, declining numbers entering the profession, lower retention in hospital jobs, and early retirement) that cannot be adressed solely through pay increases. Thus, they propose hospital management pay more attention to nurses' working conditions and job dissatisfaction. Although I agree with these conclusions, I think they are too limited. In particular, physicians can play a key role.

Physicians' behavior can have profound effects on nurses' working conditions and job satisfaction. Simply telling a nurse that he/she did a "nice job" with a patient or "that was a great save, thanks" can help nurses feel good about both their work and their jobs. In my experience, most nurses respect physicians and thus physicians' positive comments (when warranted) can have an enormous positive impact on nurses' satisfaction.

A discussion on the impact of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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