A collaborative effort between nurse leaders to address the hospital nursing shortage.

The current nursing shortage is not a routine swinging of the supply pendulum. Indeed, this shortage is determined to be quantitatively and qualitatively different from those of the past (Kimball & O'Neil, 2002). In Cincinnati, Ohio, nurse leaders decided that the uniqueness of this shortage necessitated new strategies. Hospital nurse executives proposed the creation of a community leadership group, and other Cincinnati nurse leaders enthusiastically embraced the idea. A collaborative effort was initiated in the spring of 2000 between a representative group of hospital chief nursing officers, school of nursing deans and faculty, staff nurses, hospital nurse recruiters, and professional nursing organizations to address concerns related to the nursing shortage. This article describes the process and outcomes of this collaborative effort with a focus on the retention of hospital nurses.