Nurses and Heath Service Executive (HSE) managers were today urged to sit down and talk in a bid to avoid planned strike action.
Brendan Hayes, vice-president of the country's largest union, Siptu, appealed to all sides to use the time remaining of the notice period for staging walk-outs to try to thrash out a compromise.
"The key players involved should act now, and not simply wring their hands while they watch the countdown to crisis in the health services," he said.
"The time available should be used sensibly and constructively by both sides to fashion a sensible and viable process to resolve the issues in dispute."
At the beginning of the month, unions representing about 40,000 nurses served a 21-day notice of industrial action on the HSE as part of a campaign for improved pay and conditions. They want a shorter working week and improved wages.
The notice expires at the end of the week.
The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said there will be no further formal notice given on plans for rolling work stoppages. Impact is also supporting the strike.
Siptu supports the claims and in a sign of solidarity, union leaders have advised members not to carry out the work of nurses who go on strike.
The HSE has branded the nurses' lack of notice for stoppages as irresponsible.
Mr Hayes said the public expects every effort to be made to find a solution.
"The general public expects that all those charged with the provision of the health services nationally and with managing industrial relations within the state to make every effort to find a solution to the issues in dispute before the Health Service becomes almost completely crippled," he said.
"Patients deserve no less."