Keeping the Wisdom at Work

THE CURRENT SHORTAGE OF nurses is no secret to those who work in or manage neonatal intensive care units. The Health Resources and Service Administration projected that the vacancy rate among nursing positions will increase to 20 percent by 2015.¹ Specialty care nurses are even harder to find.^2,3 In one survey, 57 percent of hospitals reported that specialty unit positions are the hardest to fill and tend to have the highest vacancy rate.³ A dangerous worker shortage, more severe than many expect, is compounded by deep systems problems in the way most health care organizations operate today.⁴