Wired for success: stimulating excitement in nursing through a summer camp

The seriousness of the nursing shortage has been addressed by both the public and professional media. The literature documents substantial support for strategies that focus on increasing the enrollment in nursing education programs and/or sustaining practice environments that contribute to higher nurse retention rates. A nursing camp is an example of an innovative strategy to stimulate excitement in a nursing career, and thus potentially limit the severity of the nursing shortage. The camp helps high school students enhance their discernment about being "wired" for nursing; learn selected basic nursing skills; job shadow; interact with current nursing students and practicing nurses; and develop themselves as educated consumers of information about nursing education programs and financial assistance for college. This article details the development and implementation of a summer residential nursing camp and describes associated outcomes for both the students and the nursing program.