Nurses are everyday heroes and the vital role that nurses play was exemplified Sept. 11 when nurses were among the many who answered the call to provide emergency services. Nurses like Melissa volunteered in large numbers to care for the injured, assisted with blood drives and provided counseling to the injured and their families. As 24-hour direct patient care givers, the role of the nurse is crucial to the success of our health care system in emergency situations as well as in day-to-day delivery of health care services.

RNs are the largest single group of health care professionals in the United States. We underpin the entire health care delivery system and studies have shown that patients fare better when RNs play a significant role in their care. However, health care institutions across the nation are experiencing a crisis in nurse staffing, and the United States is on the verge of an unprecedented nursing shortage. The emerging shortage of RNs poses a real threat to the nation's health care system and the public's health.

It is important to realize that the causes of this nursing shortage are complex and interrelated. Therefore, the solutions must be comprehensive and must include strategies to improve nurse education, health delivery systems and the environment in which nurses work.

Schools of nursing are experiencing a shortfall of doctorally-prepared nursing faculty which is further undermining our ability to educate students to meet the future demand for nurses. We note the inclusion of funds in these grants to prepare nurse educators, and underscore the critical need to develop additional strategies to ensure our schools have enough professors to prepare future generations of nurses.

Additionally, health delivery systems must re-examine their way of conducting business and supporting nursing. Employers that develop long-term plans which foster a "pro-nurse" environment are more successful in recruiting and retaining nurses. For example, acute care and long-term care centers designated as "magnet" institutions by the American Nurses Credentialing Center attract nurses through their commitment to nursing excellence and their dedication to the professional practice of nursing.

With the nation facing a crisis in nurse staffing and shortages, more health care decision makers should follow the lead of magnet institutions, creating a professional, supportive environment for nursing practice; thereby, increasing their ability to recruit and retain RNs and enhancing their ability to provide safe, quality patient care.

Further, proposals to stem the nursing shortage by increased Medicare payments to health care facilities must hold institutions accountable that such monies are used to fund increased RN staffing. The American Nurses Association is working diligently to address the complex factors that affect the supply and demand for nurses. National nursing organizations, including those represented here today, recently held the Call to the Nursing Profession summit. Representatives from 60 nursing organizations came together to develop a comprehensive plan to address the issues around staffing and the shortage.

Additionally, ANA is working with 31 other organizations in an effort to recruit young people into nursing. This coalition, "Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow," has recently produced television and print public service announcements targeted to middle school and high school students. The goal is to highlight the exciting, diverse career paths available to nurses. As you can see, one such ad features Aurora Hernandez, a student in the RN- BSN program here at Georgetown.

I know first hand how rewarding a career in nursing can be and, as a professor of nursing, I share that sentiment with my nursing students everyday. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing that your critical judgement has prevented major complications, your teaching has given a family a healthy start, or your presence has comforted a sick or dying patient. A terminally ill man recently wrote the ANA extolling the qualities of a nurse who cared for him. He described her as the greatest nurse he had ever met and expressed that the nurse had "unending heart and care and concern for her patient." He explained that the nurse stayed with him even after her shift was over and provided comfort and excellent care during the most vulnerable times of his illness. Such dedication and commitment is why the public consistently rates nurses as the most trusted health care professionals.

Nurses are the backbone of the health care system. They touch our lives at the most intimate of times assisting with births and caring for the dying. Nursing is a career that is challenging, rewarding and vital to quality health care. I am confident that working together we will find solutions to stem the shortage and continue nursing's tradition of providing safe, high-quality health care to consumers.