The hospital is a battlefield in which doctors and nurses fight sickness. Doctors are officers, and nurses are enlisted. Doctors have authority, issue orders, enjoy comforts, and receive rewards; while nurses lack authority, take orders, do dirty work, and receive blame. This gross inequality is counterproductive, because it hurts nurses, creates internecine conflict, subverts the hospital’s mission, and subjects patients to suboptimal healthcare. The Hippocratic Oath should include the doctor-nurse relationship.
Rapid Response:
Rx for Hospitals
The hospital is a battlefield in which doctors and nurses fight sickness. Doctors are officers, and nurses are enlisted. Doctors have authority, issue orders, enjoy comforts, and receive rewards; while nurses lack authority, take orders, do dirty work, and receive blame. This gross inequality is counterproductive, because it hurts nurses, creates internecine conflict, subverts the hospital’s mission, and subjects patients to suboptimal healthcare. The Hippocratic Oath should include the doctor-nurse relationship.
Competing interests: No competing interests