Thursday, October 29, 2015

RehabRN book club: post script

I'm still working on my list (somewhat) but I went out and actually met an author. Oncology nurse Theresa Brown was discussing her latest book, The Shift.

I started reading the book while I was awaiting the program to begin. The crowd was not rock star huge, as it often is for kids' authors or politicians, but the room was pretty full. There was not a lot of current nurses, but plenty of retired ones, and a few doctors sprinkled in.

It's not a huge book, so it won't take a ton of your time to read. When you think that it almost was never published, you realize the gravity of the attitudes about health care and the work of nurses. The author mentioned that it really was a sales job to the book folks to prove that, yes, there would be enough things happening in twelve hours to put in a book.

Surprisingly, once the editors saw the preliminary stuff, they realized she was on to something: providing a glimpse into the life of a nurse on the medical oncology floor.

Suzanne Gordon was right when she said this about what nurses do.

What do nurses do? They save lives, prevent complications, prevent suffering, and save money.

This book proves her right on all those points. Amen, sister!

3 comments:

clairesmum said...

I've enjoyed Theresa Brown's pieces in the NY Times, will add her book to my reading list. Your blog entries have such interesting links..helps me learn a little bit every time I follow one.

RehabNurse said...

Thanks! I like to post about what I read and enjoy. Occasionally, I might discuss bad stuff, but I prefer to hear about the good vs. bad.

Who wants to waste time with junk? Not me!

Unknown said...

Nurses are always doing a very important job. When I was in a labor my doctor only controlled everything, but nurses were those who did all the job! Plus I asked them millions of questions and they were ready to answer all the time. And fro the questions I didn't ask I try to find answers in the articles, like this: http://rocketparents.com/pregnancy-symptoms-while-breastfeeding/.