questions. Two invitational sessions, each one-half-day long, will be convened — one in Washington, D.C., and the other in Irvine, California. The committee will make every effort to accommodate as many oral presentations as possible within the very limited time available for each session. Those organizations and individuals asked to present oral statements will be grouped in panels, asked to confine their remarks to about 5-7 minutes summarizing their written testimonies, and requested to be prepared to respond to committee members' questions. These sessions will be open to the public for observation. Reporters interested in attending the oral presentation sessions should contact the Office of News and Public Information at 202-334-2138, or through Internet at NEWS@NAS.EDU.

These hearings are an opportunity for the committee members to obtain firsthand an extensive range of opinion on the matters under consideration. Written and oral statements will be summarized by staff for the committee after they are completed. The topics to be addressed in the written testimony are provided in the following Guide to Preparing Testimony.

First, as background, briefly describe your organization and its activities; existing brochures or publications are acceptable. Then, to the extent possible, please address at least the topics listed below. Your written statement may be as long as you choose and you may confine your remarks to only hospitals or only nursing homes, if you prefer. Please note that, in accordance with the legislative mandate for this study, the term "nurses" is used to cover registered nurses, licensed practical and vocational nurses, and nursing assistants and aides. All testimony should include a one-page executive summary and a cover letter identifying the name, affiliation, address, and telephone number of the contact person.

1. Your experiences with and conclusions about the current status of nurse staffing and its adequacy (both for numbers and skill mix), effects on the quality of patient care, and effects on nurses' work-related well-being.
2. The gaps in knowledge and documented evidence in the areas that the committee is studying, and priority areas and concerns.
3. The measures that are or should be used to assess the impact of nurse staffing levels and skill mix on the quality of nursing care and patient well-being.
4. The measures that are or should be used to assess the impact of nurse staffing levels and skill mix on nurses' work-related well-being (including stress and injuries).