Sir, - In the event that Dr McLoughlin's letter (November 4th) was not a complete send-up, I would like to take issue with his/her comments therein.
At the outset, as a nurse, I empathise with Dr McLouglin's comments vis-a-vis the inhumanely long hours which junior hospital doctors have to work, and which are indeed far in excess of those worked by nurses. However, I think it must be borne in mind that the earning potential within the medical professor far exceeds that within nursing.
As regards the different entry requirements for medicine and nursing, Dr McLoughlin should note that a significant number of his/her older and more senior colleagues gained access for medical studies with not much more than the paltry three Honours which he/she so disparagingly cites as the current entry requirement for nursing.
The high points which are now a pre-requisite to enter medicine simply contribute to a system of social closure which not only consolidates the exclusivity of the profession but also denies access to medicine to a proportion of the population who could potentially make very good doctors.
Dr McLoughlin's obviously limited world-view is possibly indicative of tender years. Hopefully, as this doctor gains some experience in life, both inside and outside the world of medicine, he/she will shed the rather childish perception which equates intelligence solely with academic capabilities.
Finally, I'm sure any oncologist would be happy to validate the worth of the "ten-a-penny" oncology nurses whose role Dr McLoughlin singles out for particular vilification. - Yours, etc., Nora G. O'Connor,
Westgate, Lr. Bridge Street, Dublin 8.