If I were Jane Austen, instead of your new and slightly overwhelmed Pulse editor, I would call this issue, "Shortage and Abundance." Let me explain.

Two years ago, my grandmother died at 98. Despite numerous ailments, she was mentally alert and interested in life until her last few days, when she was hospitalized.

The headlines of the day were already covering the national nursing shortage and I worried that my grandmother might not receive adequate care. I needn't have.

Nurses monitored her symptoms closely, listened to her complaints and our suggestions, applied ointments to sores, trimmed her neglected toenails, and placed flowers where she could see them. They were a sounding board of information and sympathy for my aunt and me.

With the shortage, no doubt they had more patients, longer hours, more responsibility and less backup, but I saw no shortage of skill and, indeed, an abundance of compassion.

This month, Pulse takes a look at another shortage critical to the profession - the lack of nurse educators. The situation is critical, but we talked to nursing faculty who are meeting the problem head on.

Nursing schools are finding inventive ways to fund teaching positions and starting mentorship programs. A new loan program is helping nurses earn the higher degrees needed to become educators. Despite compensation and workload concerns, new faculty members are excited about teaching.

You'll also read about the shortage of preventive health care education in rural South Georgia, and how a group of nurses works to keep a mobile clinic on the road. A bunch of outrageous breast-cancer survivors (BOOBS) will tell you about their "shortage" of health and life, but their stories reveal humor, inspiration and true grit.

Already I'm learning that while the health care profession has no shortage of crises, it's also blessed with an abundance of crisis-solvers. As nurse-biker Lana Robinson pointed out, "nurses are fix-it kind of people."

Pulse will continue to report the big issues and statistics, but we're just as interested in the impact those are having on your job, your career, your life . . . and what you're doing about it. I look forward to hearing your stories.

- Do you have any story ideas for Pulse? E-mail me at pulseeditor@ajc.com.