Demand for nurses is soaring to unprecedented levels while a variety of factors are limiting the number of available nurses. Some facts and figures related to the shortage are as follows: Indiana's per capita nurse employment decreased 2.4% between 1996 and 2000; the percentage of nurses under 30 decreased from 26% in 1980 to 9% in 2000; 1 in 5 nurses plans to retire by 2006; between 2000 and 2030 the core of the nurse workforce is expected to remain unchanged while the population aged 65 and older will double; the number of registered nurses (RNs) not employed in nursing increased by 28% between 1992 and 2000; in a 2001 study of 43,000 nurses, more than 40% of respondents working in United States hospitals reported dissatisfaction with their jobs and only 34% reported that there were enough RNs to provide high-quality care in the facility where they worked; and nursing schools turned away 5,823 qualified applicants in 2000-2001 due to insufficient numbers of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and budgets. Some possible solutions to the shortage include the following: attracting back licensed nurses who are not active; creating work environments that attract and retain nurses; improving diversity within the profession; attracting new nursing students who already have a college degree; and enhancing the nursing image. (Contains contact information of participants.) (MO)