The Making of a Nurse Book

I bought this when I got "Better: a surgeons notes on performance" to see if they maybe complement one another (a doctors' perspective vs. a nurses' perspective) To my surprise, they are not really complementary but very distinct and whole narratives of the two very different professions, challenges. In better, the author wrote from a more technical point of view, discussing methodology of improving patient care and the health care system. This book, on the other hand, talks staight from the heart. Its personal. She skips the tech-talk (though she does a thorough job not to miss explaining any jargon if there is any bit of it) and talks with feeling. I rarely cry reading books--but this one did it. When I read better, I noded along, "oh yeah, thats a good way idea..oh no, thats not a good idea". When I read this book, I felt as if I was listening to my wise retired grandma talk: you just listen.

I am so grateful that the author shared such intimate details of her nursing career. She's raw and tells it like it is. She trudges through all the hard and dirty issues of being a nurse but never fails to mention the beautiful and rewarding parts of it. After all the gory descriptions of homeless patients trying to attack her and body-numing night shifts, I am still motivated to pursue nursing--and thats why I think this is an inspiring and empowering book, as I think it was intended to be.