Mentorship: Developing and inspiring the next generation of nursing leaders

The current nursing shortage leaves little uncertainty that the US health care system is at the limit of its resources. Implications of the shortage are significant in terms of 21st century changes for health care. Provider-focused environments are giving way to consumer-driven models of service, promoting a more patient-centered approach to care that is ideally both cost effective and efficient. In the process, nursing service could be in the best position to lead the cure-focused system toward a care-based orientation, recognizing health as a life process rather than a series of illness events.1, 2 and 3