Advertising Campaign Seeks to Recruit Future Nurses

Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, a coalition of 32 leading nursing and health care organizations addressing the nursing shortage, is launching a national advertising campaign to recruit young people into the nursing profession and encourage existing nurses to remain.

The coalition developed the campaign title “Nursing. It’s Real. It’s Life” to boost the attractiveness of nursing as a profession. The campaign targets students and current nurses who may be considering leaving the profession. Honorary campaign co-chairs are Luci Baines Johnson and Elizabeth Dole. The campaign consists of print advertisements and a television spot featuring nurses in different capacities and plans to add a radio spot, brochures and other materials.

The past decade has seen a decrease in enrollment in nursing programs for several reasons. Newspapers paint a picture of a nursing shortage born of increased patient loads and escalating pressure to treat more people more quickly for less money. In addition, complaints about managed care have led many guidance counselors to advise students not to enter the profession. Consider these nursing education trends: Entry-level enrollment fell 2.1 percent in 2000, dropping for the sixth year in a row, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Enrollment has declined 27 percent since 1996. Less than two percent of college freshmen indicate nursing as a likely major.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the average age of new RN graduates is 31, which leaves fewer working years before retirement.

Just as the legion of baby boomers is about to swell the need for quality health care, America’s nursing population is aging and more nurses are moving into primary care settings. The result: America’s hospitals and other institutions need more nurses, especially those who deliver specialized care.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that jobs for RNs will grow 23 percent by 2008, faster than the average for all other occupations.

As a result of increasing competition among health care companies, the average full-time RN salary rose to $46,782 in 2000, compared to $42,071 in 1996, according to a survey by the Bureau of Health Professions. Hospitals also have had to increase employment benefits to keep current staff, while attracting new nurses. The most popular incentives are tuition reimbursement, flexible hours and bonus programs.

All of Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow’s communications materials, including the print and broadcast advertising campaign, attempt to send the message to young people that nursing is an exciting career that demands real brainpower and is necessary for sustaining life. The coalition’s Web site, www.nursesource.org includes career profiles of nurses and links to educational programs.

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