National nursing strategies in seven countries of the Region of the Americas: issues and impact.
OBJECTIVE
To identify and examine the current national nursing strategies and policy impact of workforce development regarding human resources for health in seven selected countries in the Region of the Americas: Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and the United States.


METHODS
A review of available literature was conducted to identify publicly-available documents that describe the general backdrop of nursing human resources in these seven countries. A keyword search of PubMed was supplemented by searches of websites maintained by Ministries of Health and nursing organizations. Inclusion criteria limited documents to those published in 2008-2013 that discussed or assessed situational issues and/or progress surrounding the nursing workforce.


RESULTS
Nursing human resources for health is progressing. Canada, Mexico, and the United States have stronger nursing leadership in place and multisectoral policies in workforce development. Jamaica shows efforts among the Caribbean countries to promote collaborative practices in research. The three selected countries in Central and South America championed networks to revive nursing education. Yet, overall challenges limit the opportunities to impact public health.


CONCLUSIONS
The national nursing strategies prioritized multisectoral collaboration, professional competencies, and standardized educational systems, with some countries underscoring the need to align policies with efforts to promote nursing leadership, and others, focusing on expanding the scope of practice to improve health care delivery. While each country wrestles with its specific context, all require proper leadership, multisectoral collaboration, and appropriate resources to educate, train, and empower nurses to be at the forefront.
Human Resources for Health, World Health Organization, Abuja, Nigeria.
Rebecca O
RO
Shasanmi
Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Esther M
EM
Kim
Nursing and Allied Health Personnel, Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, United States of America, cassianis@paho.org.
Silvia Helena De Bortoli
SH
Cassiani
D017691:Caribbean Region; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D006291:Health Policy; D006295:Health Resources; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D007857:Leadership; D009656:North America; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009726:Nurses / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends