Nurses can be patient advocates, or they can be entrepreneurs, but not both. Like everyone else, nurses cannot serve two masters at the same time. The trust that patients have that nurses will act in their interest is based precisely on the fact that, until now, nurses have not had the financial incentive to do otherwise. Once nurses have become business people, money becomes the master. Frankly, it seems odd that we nurses think we can succeed where doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, etc., have all failed.
Money is the root of evil.
It leads to envy, greed and fear. Entrepreneurial nursing will be the sad end of a great profession. Through the dedicated work of District Eight's president, Eileen Moken, the graduating students in Central Florida have been matched with mentors to guide the students toward professional growth. The members of District Eight have worked extremely hard to make the transition to registered nurse easier for students. I encourage all local nursing associations to embrace the graduating students through mentoring.