[Excerpt from authors] With projections of a severe and looming nursing shortage, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) commissioned the development of this Wisdom Works white paper to identify promising strategies and opportunities for retaining experienced nurses. One projection from a 2003 online survey conducted by the American Nurses Association revealed that, in the age cohort of 40 or older, more than 82 percent of nurses planned to retire in the next 20 years. This paper is a response to the current and increasingly daunting crisis resulting from the shortage of nurses.