It's time to stop the regulation of hospital nurse staffing dead in its tracks.

Nurses and organizations employing them will need to be increasingly nimble and flexible to adjust constructively to the many changes anticipated with health care reforms. It is difficult to imagine how nurses can possibly meet these challenges when employers are locked into inflexible staffing arrangements. The public and private support of nurses is at risk should the states, the federal government, or unions succeed in increasing the regulation of nurse staffing. This is not the time to adopt policies that are all but sure to lead to the diminution of the public's trust and confidence in nurses. Now is the time to stop the regulation of hospital nurse staffing dead in its tracks.