Abstract
Nurses are national treasures, reservoirs of compassion and strength, and pearls of great price that have been hidden from view for far too long. For more than 40 years, nurses have pleaded with the medical profession that it become more oriented toward preventive medicine, that it concentrate on teaching people how to stay well. Now it is their chance to reach thousands of people in the informal setting of an institution that is ready to rethink its role in motivating people toward healthy living (Westberg, 1990, p. 20).