Opportunities for women are wide open. There is a decreasing level of preference for nursing as a career. Current nursing education programs have capacity restrictions. There is an inadequate supply of nursing faculty. Nurse's wages are flattened and falling.
Nurses report low morale, high stress and general work related unhappiness.
Numerous studies document that as the number of RNs on a staff decreases, the numbers of patient deaths, complications, medication errors, and complaints increase. As the American population continues to increase and age, more registered nurses will be needed. Speakers represented various clinical specialties, nursing administration, nursing education, and recruitment and retention efforts. Over 150 registered nurses and other interested health professionals participated and produced the following recommendations.