Well-paid nurses are good nurses.

Some recent articles suggest that increasing wage in the nursing market with the aim of reducing shortage can negatively impact on the average ability and motivation of applicants attracted and, in turn, on the average quality of care. This finding is at odds with empirical evidence and has been criticized on the grounds that nurses' motivation is modeled in an overly simplistic way. This paper provides a novel theoretical framework where the orientation of nurses' motivation-intrinsic versus extrinsic-is taken into account, and the precise distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is delineated on the basis of self-determination and person-environment fit theories. Conditions are derived under which high wages attract able and motivated individuals, thus maximizing the average quality of care.