Recruiting the brightest and best for nursing--an honors program can help

The severe shortage in nursing and significant decline in enrollments in schools of nursing present unique challenges. One way the University of Minnesota School of Nursing responded to this challenge was by initiating an honors program. The development and implementation throughout the first year are described. Funding, admission and graduation requirements, faculty work load, and the difficulties of introducing flexibility into typically highly structured undergraduate professional degree programs are addressed. Implications for the future are presented.