Nursing shortage forces hospitals to hike pay, benefits.(Brief Article)

Facing a nationwide shortage of nurses, the area's two medical centers are getting creative in their attempts to recruit and retain nursing talent.

At Wesley Medical Center, a job fair held in November paid dividends. Hospital officials met and signed up some strong candidates to join 700 to 800 nurses who work there. But it's only one part of the effort.

"We feel like we've been fairly successful," says Janet Hamous, Wesley's vice president of human resources. "The things we're trying seem to be working and we got a good response with the job fair we did."

Shortage bad last summer

Kay Willis, Wesley's chief nursing officer, says the nationwide …