Switzerland has some 10,000 fewer nurses than it needs. Supporters of a new initiative hope to encourage more young people to enter the field by improving working conditions and training opportunities.

At a press conference in Bern on Tuesday, the Swiss Association of Nurses (ASI) called on the Swiss government and cantons to invest in nursing with the goal of improving its status as a profession.

The ASI has launched an initiative aimed at ameliorating Switzerland’s severe shortage of nurses, both male and female, which is on the order of 10,000 and growing.

The initiative, which was validated Tuesday by the Federal Chancellery and can now begin collecting the 100,000 signatures required for a nationwide vote, aims to anchor in the Swiss constitution the status of nursing “as an important component of care”.

Specifically, it calls for increased autonomy of nurses in the Swiss health care system, and improved options for work-life balance, training, salary, and continuing education.

more: