Factors influencing the supply and demand of nurses are complex and involve issues such as the shifting health care delivery system, an aging nursing workforce, and the changing demographics of society. Projections for the supply and demand of the nursing workforce reveal an emerging nursing shortage (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2000a; Bednash, 2000; Buerhaus, 1998; Buerhaus, Staiger, andAuerbach, 2000; Mailey, Charles, Piper, Hunt-McCool, Wilborne-Davis, andBaigis, 2000; Mills andBlaesing, 2000). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the National League for Nursing (NLN) report a decrease in applications to, and enrollment in, all nursing programs. According to the latest survey by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2000b), enrollments in baccalaureate degree nursing programs have decreased for the sixth straight year, with a 4.9% drop in 1999 and a 2.1% drop in 2000. Why are students not choosing nursing as a career? What can be done to increase enrollments in nursing programs?
