There are 330 pediatric intensive care specialists nationally; the hospital has 3 and has just recruited a 4th.

In addition, some hospitals have recruited more residents to help make up for the shorter working hours.

Psychiatric hospitals aggressively recruited patients whose treatment costs were covered by employee health plans, he said.

He said he has been staying on until the hospital can recruit a new chief of staff.

The new contracts help hospitals retain and recruit experienced nurses, officials say.

The hospitals have been recruiting teenage girls as nurses.

In the last four years, the hospital recruited Ms. Mathew, 26, along with 60 other foreign nurses to fill open positions.

We're constantly recruiting nurses, and other hospitals are recruiting ours like a tug-of-war.

At Armstrong itself, the hospital recruited three obstetricians, including the first woman obstetrician on its staff.

The new contracts, officials say, have helped the hospitals retain and recruit experienced nurses.