A new world: Nurses search for ways to maintain high-quality care

YAKIMA, Wash. -- As Americans as a whole become sicker and older, the burden on health care providers becomes increasingly heavy.

For nurses, working on the front lines with patients, that burden is deeply personal. And as they’re asked to provide more and more complex care, nurses and educators say that speaking up for patient safety and their own limitations is an essential part of their role.

“It’s way more complex than it was even five years ago,” said Heather Stephen-Selby, assistant executive director for nursing practice, education and research at the Washington State Nurses Association.