ABSTRACT
The practice of nursing involves doing something that appears quite ‘ordinary’, in highly extraordinary settings and circumstances. Nurses care for people who, for different reasons, are unable or unwilling to care for themselves. In one sense, caring is hardly ‘rocket science’. ‘Anyone could do it’ has become an increasingly popular cry, especially among economists and bureaucrats anxious to reduce the financial cost of caring. There is some truth in this. At least in principle, anyone could care for someone else. This often involves nothing more complex than giving one’s time, sitting and talking with the person, sharing some of the load of the person’s life. What could be simpler?
