Portraying nurses as superheroes has placed added pressure on exhausted workers, Wales' top nurse has said.
Speaking ahead of International Nurses Day, the chief nursing officer for Wales said the NHS faced an unsustainable staffing gap.
There are more than 1,700 nursing vacancies in Wales, according to the Royal College of Nurses (RCN).
Sue Tranka said unrealistic expectations on staff following the Covid pandemic was not helping.
At the start of the pandemic, images of doctors and nurses as cape-wearing superheroes sprung up on everything from street art to mugs.
Ms Tranka said while it was appreciated by staff, it could also be unhelpful.
"It put an additional burden on people who are human beings," she said.
