Declining enrollments in nursing schools, locally and nationwide, have caused widespread concern that demand for nurses in the future will exceed supply, particularly as the nursing workforce ages and baby boomers retire. Already, in hospitals and other health care settings, vacancies are becoming more difficult to fill. According to the American Nurses Association, there are 2.2 million actively employed registered nurses in the nation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists nursing as one of the top 40 growth jobs for the next ten years, and has projected a need for 2.6 million working registered nurses by 2005, an additional 800,000 above current levels. A 2000 Honesty and Ethics poll conducted by the Gallup Organization showed that for the second year in a row the American public rated nursing as the field with the highest standards of honesty and ethics.
Nurses are the backbone of health care delivery and our most critical resource.
Doctors at Calvert Memorial Hospital, in Southern Maryland, are honoring the hospital's nurses with a luncheon and appreciation gifts. A nursing fair will offer mini-seminars for nurse competency training. Civista Medical Center , in Charles County, is hosting a scrub suit fashion show and two contests, one involving essays from nurses on their chosen career, the other a poster contest for local students on what their hospital means to them. Local restaurants are donating lunches for the nurses. The nurses from Dimensions Healthcare System , in Prince George's County, are spearheading philanthropic activities.