“California Groups Battling Over Nurse Patient Ratios.”1Walker C. California groups battling over nurse-patient ratios.WebRN News. 2000 Sept 6; Google Scholar “Nursing Shortage Driving Unionization at Massachusetts Hospitals.”2Health Care Advisory Board Nursing shortage driving unionization at Massachusetts hospitals. Advisory Board Daily Briefing [serial online].http://www.advisory.comDate: 2001 Mar 2; 3Google Scholar “The Hill Tunes in to Nurses' Lament.”3Trafford A. The Hill tunes in to nurses' lament.http:// washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49060-2001Feb23.html.Date: 2001 Feb 23.Google Scholar Recent headlines from newspapers, journals, and the evening news remind us daily of the progressive nursing shortage era we have entered. If the current trend is not reversed, by 2010, when 78 million baby boomers reach retirement, there will be approximately 1 million fewer nurses than needed.4U.S. Department of Health And Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Professions Division of Nursing The registered nurse population, national sample survey of registered nurses—March 2000. DHHS, Washington (DC)2001Google Scholar Whereas most regions of the United States are already experiencing some degree of shortage, the Pacific region of the United States has the lowest concentration of nurses per capita. Specialty areas such as the emergency department, labor and delivery, and critical care are seeing the greatest impact because of a decrease in training programs cut for financial reasons and a limited number of people entering the profession. Having a reduced available workforce at a time when nursing services are in increasing demand is taking its toll on hospitals, which are being forced to close beds, put emergency departments on diversion status, and reduce or close services.5Nursing shortage: Testimony of the American Organization of Nurse Executives Before the Subcomm. on Aging of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, 107th Cong. Feb. 13, 2001Google Scholar The nursing shortage is affecting not only the United States but many other countries, such as South Africa, Jamaica, Canada, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. Poor countries such as Ghana are unable to compete with wealthier countries, and their nurses often are lured away with offers of higher salaries.6Mailey S. Analysis of the nursing work force compared with national trends.J Nurs Admin. 2000; 30: 482-489Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar ENA, along with some of the other major specialty nursing groups and the American Nurses Association, have grown increasingly concerned about the nursing shortage. ENA realizes the importance of working to create an influx of young men and women into the nursing profession, some of whom may then consider a career in emergency nursing. Through a subgroup of the Nursing Network (a coalition of nursing groups of which ENA has been a leader), consensus has been reached with regard to priorities that must be addressed to support nursing training and build an adequate supply of nurses. The coalition has incorporated these priorities into a legislative platform to be taken to Congress. These priorities include increased funding for nursing education, support for nursing faculty development, initiatives to enhance recruitment and retention of minority nurses, and funding for specialty/residency programs for nurse subspecialists such as emergency nurses. If adopted, these initiatives would establish a national nurse corps and offer tax incentives, community-nurse outreach grants, and support to nursing research. If ever there was a time for us to embrace our profession and share our excitement about emergency nursing, it is now. We must all reach out to the young people in our communities and approach them about a career in nursing. Many young people are not aware of the opportunities available within the profession; often they only see what is on television or they have some limited encounters as a patient. We must welcome with open arms those who choose nursing and mentor them as they develop as professionals. In addition, we and our nursing colleagues must speak out to Congress about the current needs of the nursing profession in the areas of education, research, work environment, and reimbursement. The future of nursing is in all our hands....