Patient wants nurse in (8)
I believe the answer is:
enduring
'patient' is the definition.
('enduring' can be similar in meaning to 'patient')
'nurse in' is the wordplay.
'nurse' becomes 'en' (abbreviation for enrolled nurse).
'in' becomes 'during' (I've seen this before).
'en'+'during'='ENDURING'
'wants' is the link.
(Other definitions for enduring that I've seen before include "Long-lasting" , "Lasting' tolerating" , "Permanent" , "Eternal" , "Putting up with something" .)