Abstract

The aftermath of the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center has profoundly changed New York City and its people. Normally cynical and sarcastic, David Letterman came close to tears declaring that he would never again take firemen and police for granted. It is time now for the leaders of Canadian healthcare to make the same pledge to our nurses. We should never take nursing or nurses for granted - no good can come of such thoughtlessness, and indeed, much damage already has been done by that attitude throughout the 1990s.