Career development programs are increasingly recognized as the answer to retaining nurses in nursing, and more important, at the bedside. In the face of economic constraints facing health care, it is imperative that such programs benefit both the nurse and the hospital so that the ultimate goal of improvedpatient care delivery can be met in a cost-effective and creative way. PA CE, Practice A Iternatives for Career Expansion, a successful career development program designedto achieve these results, is described in this article. It has some unique features which benefit both the nurse and the hospital.