The shortage of nurses and nursing faculty: what critical care nurses can do.

Nurses are needed more than ever to support the healthcare needs of every American. Nurses make up the greatest single component of hospital staff. In 2004, of the almost 3 million nurses in the United States, 83% were employed in nursing, and 58% of those were employed full-time. However, a severe shortage of nurses exists nationwide, putting the safe, effective healthcare of Americans in jeopardy. The concurrent shortage of nursing faculty has significant impact on the potential for admitting and graduating sufficient numbers of nursing students to address the shortage of prepared nurses. A close examination of the demographics of the 3 million nurses provides a context for an in-depth discussion of strategies that critical care nurses can employ to help alleviate the nursing and nurse faculty shortages.