Introduction
Nursing shortages are one of the vexing problems in
healthcare. As the demand continues to rise, the current
supply is unable to meet societys needs. This is a
worldwide phenomenon. In the United States, according
to the latest projections from the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS), more than 1 million new and
replacement nurses will be needed by 2016 (BLS 2009).
Additionally, more than 587 000 new nursing positions
will be created (a 23.5% increase). Consequently, it is
expected that nursing will be the nations top profession
in terms of projected job growth (BLS 2009). Adding to
this problem is that registered nurses (RNs) continue to
leave their current positions and the profession at a high
rate. It has been reported that up to 13% of new nurses