Changes in the health care delivery system in the United States have affected the practice of nursing. Disruption in the status quo has led to confusion as to the functions and role of nurses among health professionals, the public, and the nurses themselves. As demand for nursing services has increased, more and more nurses are leaving practice and fewer individuals are choosing nursing as a career. Others have proposed causes and solutions to this most recent shortage, which are primarily directed at changing the structure of the delivery system or the reward system for practice. The authors suggest that individual nurses have a role in the solution.
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