"The United States is currently facing a nursing shortage of critical proportions," said Senator Collins. "In Maine, almost one out of every 10 nursing positions at hospitals across the state are vacant, and we also face persistent shortages of certified nursing assistants and other front-line health care workers in our hospitals, home health agencies, and nursing homes. My amendment will help turn these statistics around by providing funding for programs that play a vital role in recruiting nurses and making certain that they have the training that they need to care for patients." Collins's amendment funds programs created through the Nurse Reinvestment Act, which she authored last year. The legislation, approved by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, authorizes scholarships to nursing students who agree to provide at least two years of service in a health care facility with a critical nursing shortage. It creates career ladders to help nurses and other health professionals advance in their careers, provides loan cancellation for nurses with advanced degrees in exchange for teaching at a school of nursing, improves nurse retention by promoting nurse involvement in organizational decision-making, and provides specialized training for nurses.