RON headline causes discomfort.

I was disturbed to read on the cover of the August issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand "RONS face uncertain times". The title disturbs me and I feel it is a little sensational, especially when one reads the article by Sue Barrier, Does obstetric experience count for naught? (p 22). This will send shivers down the spines of registered obstetric nurses (RONs) once again. There are two issues here. The first is this contribution refers to one RON and her experience not being recognised. She is an experienced RON working within her scope of practice.

This highlights for me, once again, the stupidity that manifests itself often in the nursing workforce. Instead of uniting with our colleagues (in this case midwives) and working as a team, she has been deemed surplus to requirements, at a time when we are craving for trained and experienced nurses. Is her work area so well off for staff, it can ignore Sue's many years of experience? What are we thinking of here--the clients who come into this service or a bureaucratic whim? No matter what the changes in legislation, she is still working within her scope and certainly can work in collaboration with midwives/medical practitioners.

The second issue is the headline. My disappointment is with the wording, at a time when Nursing Council has acknowledged in its recent scope of practice document that historically obstetric nurses were registered and that they will remain under this specialty scope. I understand that many RONs contributed to the consultation document (as did NZNO) and were well supported by their midwife colleagues and also their managers. This headline sows the seed of doubt that, once again, we are on the way out, at a time when we should be feeling more positive about our position in the health workforce.

Lesley Elliott RON, Dunedin