Addressing the nursing shortage

Support is essential for students and new nurses to develop confidence in their practice (Oermann & Moffitt-Wolf, 1997). Caring, empowerment and team building are essential in helping affirm the choice of nursing as a profession. Students and new nurses will stay in nursing if they are supported (Meissner, 1986). The nursing community needs to nurture, encourage and inspire its members to learn and to grow; nurses need to treat each other with respect and patience. As Moccia (1990) so aptly stated. "The goal of nursing is to enable others so they might enable still others; to nurse, to teach and to learn with each other in caring ways." "What is modeled for nurses today will shape future practice" (Christensen, 1999).