TY - JOUR T1 - Doctors and nurses once more--an alternative to May. JF - Journal of Medical Ethics JO - J Med Ethics SP - 82 LP - 83 DO - 10.1136/jme.21.2.82 VL - 21 IS - 2 AU - P Nash Y1 - 1995/04/01 UR - http://jme.bmj.com/content/21/2/82.abstract N2 - It is argued that promissory obligation arising from the contract of employment offers a simpler and less contentious explanation and justification of the doctor-nurse relationship at work, than does May's proposal of second-order reasons. The second-order reason position is rejected as the norm for that relationship, and in the exceptional case, where it is admitted, shared employee status is identified as primary validator of a doctor as locus of rational authority. Finally, a brief case is made for a more precise vocabulary to describe the doctor-nurse relationship, as a contribution to more collegial relations. ER -