I would like to start this letter by addressing the fact that I admire your work and dedication of running a mental institution. I know it must be a difficult task, and you seem to be doing the best that you can. However, it has come to my attention that one of your nurses, Nurse Ratched, has been treating not only the patients poorly, but your employees poorly as well. As a monitor of local Mental Health Hospitals, it is my top priority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those staying in each institution. The Nurse refers to these specific workers as “The Black Boys”, and I feel as if this is an injustice to them and the work they are called to perform. Not only does this title make the Nurse feel as if she inferior to the other employees, but it causes them to treat the patients the way Nurse Ratched treats themselves- poorly and worthlessly. No one involved in this line of work should feel worthless or lower than anyone, it defeats the purpose of what we are trying to accomplish. I have also noticed that the way the Nurse trains “The Black Boys” results in them carelessly caring for the patients. Chief Bromden recalls “[Nurse Ratched] taught them her own technique; taught him not to show his hate and to be calm and wait, wait for a little advantage, a little slack, and then twist the rope and keep the pressure steady. All the time. That’s the way you get them into shape, she taught them,” (Kesey 27). Although this “technique” might work for solving crimes, it 's a manipulative way to train employees of your ward, which reflects through the way the patients cooperate and recover. Hopefully, as I expand upon this issue, you will soon realize that “The Black Boys” receive no respect from their superiors and they do not display any respect towards the patients, causing Nurse Ratched’s way of running the ward to be an overall injustice for everyone. Although “The Black Boys” do not have diagnosed mental problems, the way they have been trained to treat those who do have caused problems throughout the entire ward. It seems that Nurse Ratched is attempting to create this world in the ward to mirror the outside world, however, she 's failing terribly. Bromden states “…the goal of the Therapeutic Community is a democratic ward, run completely by the patients and their votes, working toward making worth-while citizens to turn back outside onto the street,” (Kesey 44). The goal of your ward is similar to the one stated in Dena Kleiman’s article, “A Day in a Mental Hospital, a Dream Life Outside”. Kleiman says “Pilgrim has a new mission: to treat acutely disturbed people and prepare them for the world outside,” (Kleiman 1). I 'm happy to hear that there 's a similar interest in having patients succeed, but you must realize that the injustice in your ward is that the employees are making this goal significantly difficult. “The Black Boys” don 't contribute to outside society, so it’s hard to fit them into where they would safely contribute to your ward. Based on Kleiman’s claims in her article, workers in a mental institution are a major part of helping patients recover, and she would feel as if the wrongly trained “Black Boys” are only damaging your patients’ chances of going “outside”. The differences between your Ward and the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital, the one examined in the article, is that unlike yours, the doctors and nurses are encouraging and work with the mentally ill on a personal level. In
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I believe that you need to shadow Nurse Ratched to make sure she is working for the wellbeing of her patients. Next, you should train her, or hire professional help to train “The Black Boys”. Director, you must remember that this is your Ward, not Nurse Ratched 's. For “The Black Boys” specifically, they deserve to be trained properly, for not only the patients, but for their mental health and wellbeing. If they were to ever leave Nurse Ratched’s wing, they would be lost and brainwashed, and we as leaders in this society cannot let that happen. Please consider my efforts to make your Ward a safer and more just place for your employees and
I believe that you need to shadow Nurse Ratched to make sure she is working for the wellbeing of her patients. Next, you should train her, or hire professional help to train “The Black Boys”. Director, you must remember that this is your Ward, not Nurse Ratched 's. For “The Black Boys” specifically, they deserve to be trained properly, for not only the patients, but for their mental health and wellbeing. If they were to ever leave Nurse Ratched’s wing, they would be lost and brainwashed, and we as leaders in this society cannot let that happen. Please consider my efforts to make your Ward a safer and more just place for your employees and