A healthcare crisis, a nursing crisis, a time to breathe!

Over the past few months I have spent time talking with clinical nurses, both in New Zealand and overseas. These conversations always lead to the same place; nurses feel they are being asked to do more with less, to tick boxes, they feel tired of delivering care that is rushed and below the standards that the profession and public expect.  This perspective is supported by the national and international literature that documents the worldwide shortage of nurses, along with a rise of bureaucratic and managerial environments.  These kinds of environments can foster constrained nursing practice, missed care and lead to climates of distrust that erode therapeutic relationships that are essential for professional and compassionate nursing care.