The not-for-profit Kaiser Permanente system, with 28 California hospitals, hired about 3,000 more RNs to meet the new rules, gave nurses more say on policy and improved training for nurses and managers, says Marilyn Chow, vice president for patient care services. That reduced turnover significantly.

"We thought it was the right thing to do. It's all about patient safety," Chow says.

Many hospitals, including the three-hospital LibertyHealth system in northern New Jersey, are recruiting and training more foreign-born nurses. LibertyHealth did so with a $500,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the country's biggest health care philanthropy, which also is funding efforts to expand nurse training.

Health-care giant Johnson & Johnson has devoted more than $25 million since 2002 to fund nursing scholarships and improve nursing's image through ads. J&J spokeswoman Kristen Smith says the company also is funding fellowships to train more nursing school faculty — a pool that, like the nurses, is too small and fast approaching retirement.

Experts say the union, hospital and foundation efforts are helping entice former hospital nurses back and draw new people into nursing. Now applications at many nursing schools are up so much that students are turned away for lack of space or teachers.

The weak economy, hefty retention bonuses and a big pay jump also are big draws.

In New Jersey, for example, RN salaries rose 25 percent in three years to a statewide average of $29.42 per hour, while the statewide vacancy rate for RNs dropped from nearly 14 percent to 9 percent, says Barbara Tofani, director of the Center for Nursing and Health Careers at the New Jersey Hospital Association.

The center presents programs on health-care careers to schoolchildren. It also works with hospitals on retention strategies, ranging from mentorships to employee appreciation efforts.

"Hospitals are listening now to their staff nurses," Tofani says.