Advances in Contemporary Nurse Recuitment and Retention

The need to imagine, examine, study, take a proactive stance in regard to and make a steadfast commitment to the future of nursing has never been more imperative. As Bezold et al. (1999: 4) persuasively argue, the nursing profession (and others) have never had a greater need to understand the future, to envision a preferred future, and to develop strategies to create the preferred future than it does today. Vision and commitment are needed more than ever. The reasons for this are twofold. First, the nursing profession world-wide is facing a crisis in recruitment and retention. This crisis, widely recognised as involving the worst nursing shortage in the last 50 years (Hodges et al. 2002), is having a significant and negative impact on health care and the capacities of the health care systems around the world (including the Australian health care system) to respond appropriately, safely, and effectively to the health needs of the individuals, groups and communities they serve. There is a critical need for stakeholders to collectively and creatively think and work their way out of this crisis. A second key reason is that the health, welfare and well-being of both current and future generations depends on the access, equity, quality and viability of professional nursing services. The accessibility and sustainability of quality nursing services, in turn, depend on nursing futures work and the capacity of this work to confront the will to act in regard to the realisation of a preferred healthier future for all (Bezold et al. 1999: 4). In sum, the future of nursing is imperative because: Nursings future is inextricably, and rightly so, bound to societys future and the future of health care (Bezold et al. 1999:8). Australian health care crisis Few would disagree that Australian health care is in a crisis. Despite policies that advocate access and equity to Australias health care services, thousands of Australians do not have timely access to a