title: Addressing the nursing shortage.
abstract: 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).
authors.affiliation: Eastern Kentucky University, Associate Degree Nursing Program, Richmond, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Karen S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wilder
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halcomb
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grubbs
mesh_terms: D004645:Empathy; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007629:Kentucky; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010559:Personnel Management; D011209:Power, Psychological