At some point in our lives, each and every one of us will benefit from the service nurses provide. They are crucial for any society to offer adequate medical care. However, in Germany, the working conditions of nurses have continually grown worse due to political and economic reasons over the last decades, despite the fact that it is one of the richest countries in the world.

Privatization of hospitals is ongoing. Because of a change in the accounting settlement system, financial pressure dictates every decision made. Making hospitals profitable has been made priority over service for the public.

As a consequence, shifts are understaffed and the pressure on the remaining nurses is enormous. They have to take care of more and more patient in less time, hardly able to meet their own standards. The capitalist system works contrary to the fact that good nursing takes time and expertise. Nursing is a complex profession — on a technical, medical, and social level.