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!