Across the country, virtually every healthcare institution reports no end in sight to the chronic shortage of skilled nurses. The consequence: hospitals are scrambling to find – and keep – qualified nurses to meet growing demands for patient care. As a result, many institutions have resorted to increased financial incentives and workplace perks to augment their recruitment and retention efforts. Unfortunately, these incentives do not address the larger issues surrounding nursing staffing and job dissatisfaction.

It is about more than just money.

In October 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) published a landmark report, "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health."  The report makes eight (8) recommendations detailing an aggressive blueprint for action to develop a fully engaged nursing workforce prepared to assume a primary leadership role in transforming the healthcare system in the United States.