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chanarose3's review against another edition
4.0
Like all of her books, a super quick read interspersing personal stories with national statistics and trends.
Much of it rang true with my own experiences working as a nurse.
Much of it rang true with my own experiences working as a nurse.
loveisastateofmind's review against another edition
3.5
ARC received from: Netgalley
One-Sentence Summary: An in depth look at nursing in the USA
Review: There were parts of this book that I really liked and others that I didn't like so much. I loved the in depth look at the professional and personal lives of 4 nurses but not so much the chapters in between which sometimes felt like reading a thesis. Yes this book had an agenda - and rightly so - but did I necessarily want to hear about everything in that much depth when I was far more interested in the lives of Molly, Juliette, Sam and Lara? Not really.
These chapters picked up towards the end and I enjoyed reading about murses, and the hospital 'secrets'.
One-Sentence Summary: An in depth look at nursing in the USA
Review: There were parts of this book that I really liked and others that I didn't like so much. I loved the in depth look at the professional and personal lives of 4 nurses but not so much the chapters in between which sometimes felt like reading a thesis. Yes this book had an agenda - and rightly so - but did I necessarily want to hear about everything in that much depth when I was far more interested in the lives of Molly, Juliette, Sam and Lara? Not really.
These chapters picked up towards the end and I enjoyed reading about murses, and the hospital 'secrets'.
licha's review against another edition
5.0
Insight to healthcare
An interesting insight into the world of nursing and all the issues that affect the nursing practice. Good read if you ever wondered what it really means to be a nurse.
An interesting insight into the world of nursing and all the issues that affect the nursing practice. Good read if you ever wondered what it really means to be a nurse.
rmullen84's review against another edition
3.0
I really took my time with this one. As a practicing nurse in Ontario I could draw alot of parallels to some of the well researched facts presented. And I am happy to think that some of the extremes presented as part of the US healthcare system do not apply in Canada.
It can be exhaustive to think of how unfair the healthcare system is to nurses.
I did find it difficult to follow the narrative between the ER nurse's and the hospitals they worked at, perhaps just because I read a chapter or two in between reading other books. It would have been nice to see those narratives follow nurse's in unconventional roles, just to give those roles some exposure. When working with new/student nurse's they are drawn to the glamour of ER nursing and neglect to be interested in a variety of other areas (in my personal opinion).
I personally have a social justice spark already and this book did add some fuel to that fire.
It can be exhaustive to think of how unfair the healthcare system is to nurses.
I did find it difficult to follow the narrative between the ER nurse's and the hospitals they worked at, perhaps just because I read a chapter or two in between reading other books. It would have been nice to see those narratives follow nurse's in unconventional roles, just to give those roles some exposure. When working with new/student nurse's they are drawn to the glamour of ER nursing and neglect to be interested in a variety of other areas (in my personal opinion).
I personally have a social justice spark already and this book did add some fuel to that fire.
zptdoda's review against another edition
4.0
I'm one of those people who have always been in awe of nurses -- it is a job I could never do, and I appreciate how hard they work. This book introduced me to parts of their profession I really didn't want to know about, to be honest -- the many close calls in hospitals each day, the politics and profits overriding patient care, the poor treatment compared to physicians in a hospital..... I hope this books raises awareness and serves as a stepping stone to changes being made.... thank you, nurses, for all you do!
bookwormmichelle's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I am really amazed at how good this is! I really have to hand it to this author---she "gets" it. I was so afraid this would wing off into nurse-sex-life territory or nurses-are-terrible territory or all-nurses-are-perfect territory, but this author seems to have managed to really achieve an understanding of the very real world of nurses, the good and the bad. She even gets hospital humor! LOL I am not, myself, a nurse, although I grew up certain I would be one, started candy-striping at 14, working as a CNA at 16. It ended up not being the right path for me--I wanted so to be like my mom, though. My mom is an extraordinary nurse, now retired, and she even spent years in an ER as a nurse and head nurse, although a much smaller ER than those in the book. I can say I never experienced "eating your young" but that was mostly because everyone I encountered in my local hospital and nursing home respected my mom so much and treated me well by some kind of "halo" effect. LOL And everyone had good things to say about my mom. (I must confess I did occasionally see some cattiness towards others but never at me.) I almost feel like I got to revisit a special world from my youth that I no longer get to see. Hospital TV shows are just wrong. LOL Reading this is a great way to celebrate the women (and men) who choose this career. And I have to say after reading this book---I'm going to start asking. And if I EVER find a hospital that charges its nurses for parking, uniforms and half-and-half, and not the rest of the staff---I'M CHOOSING ANOTHER HOSPITAL. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
kmeehlhause's review against another edition
3.0
Because of my work as a medical librarian, none of the issues discussed in this book were new to me.
However, for someone who isn't in the healthcare field, this book provides an excellent overview of the current state of nursing. I especially liked how each chapter is organized into sections, so if you're not interested in a specific nurse's story, you can skip over it to the general description sections.
However, for someone who isn't in the healthcare field, this book provides an excellent overview of the current state of nursing. I especially liked how each chapter is organized into sections, so if you're not interested in a specific nurse's story, you can skip over it to the general description sections.
runslikedeb's review against another edition
5.0
Well written. Emotionally exhausting to read because it’s all accurate.
sconnell5's review against another edition
3.0
As a nurse I was familiar with many issues this book discussed, but it was still interesting. I encourage the general public to read this as it gives insight into the lives of nurses. Everyone should get more familiar with what nurses do and how we deal with things on a daily basis.