Nursing workforce shortage in Thailand is one of the most unsolved national problems and
continues to increase intensity due to several factors. For examples, there are changing population
structure to be an aging society, increasing advanced medical technologies, and increasing intensity and
complexity pattern of population illness. Moreover, Thai health policies are aimed to increase patients’
access to care and to promote Thailand to be a medical hub in Asia and the ASEAN Economic
Community. On the other hands, the government policy in reducing the production of nurses impeded
nursing professional employment. Nursing shortage affected not only nurses but also patients,
organizations, society, and the nation as well. To better solve this problem, Thailand Nursing and
Midwifery Council proposed policy and guidelines for increasing production of nurses, reducing nurses’
turnover, and increasing retention of nurses. To implement the proposed policy successfully, it requires
collaboration from nursing administrators who are responsible in management of nursing workforce.
It involves appropriate staffing, incentives, and other strategies to help retain professional nurses.
Nursing faculty should pay more attention and effort on enhancing positive attitudes toward nursing
profession in nursing students. Moreover, further studies on nursing workforce should be conducted.
Professional nurses should be empowered to have positive attitudes toward nursing profession, to
identify their career goals, and to continue their professional development.