Responding to nursing's agenda for the future. Where do we stand on recruitment and retention?

How can the nursing profession address the escalating shortage of registered professional nurses? A multifaceted approach is important to ensure success. One domain of Nursing's Agenda for the Future (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2002) is recruitment and retention. Through the Agenda, creative strategies are being sought to attract and retain qualified nurses. This article describes one institution's response to addressing this critical shortage. Strategies were developed to present a continuum of learning and advancement opportunities across the career span of the professional nurse. They include recruiting student nurses, increasing NCLEXRN pass rates, providing financial support for further education or specialty certification, and using shared governance to increase retention. Institutions must look to their own resources as well as federal and state resources to offer these opportunities to nursing staff. The goal is to build an environment that both attracts nurses and supports them in their career and life goals.