Developing a rationale and recruitment plan for a nurse researcher.

Hospital administrators are becoming more aware of the valuable contribution of nursing research to the provision of quality nursing care. Research provides objective and tested information on which to base crucial decisions regarding patient care and the wise use of scarce health care resources. A systematic approach used to define the need for, and to prepare a comprehensive proposal for the recruitment of a nurse researcher is outlined. The process described in this article can be applied to the creation of any new position in the health care system.