Some of the narrative "stories" were a little hokey, but this book cut right to the heart of the major issues facing today's nurses. Good read.

The Nurses
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Rating: absolutely loved, highly recommend to anyone who wants a look see into the world of emergency nursing.
Read Again: definitely, have already read multiple times and was one of the few books packed in my suitcase for Europe.
Topic: follows the lives of 4 emergency nurses in the US as they navigate their work and personal lives. As well as highlighting all the struggles and realities nurses face such as workplace violence and bullying, hospital systems that don’t always put the patient and staff first and the wild ups and down of busy emergency departments.

As I already had a healthy respect for the nursing profession, I didn't feel that I necessarily walked away from this book with a realization that this profession was special, as I already knew that, but instead thought it was a good portrayal of the challenges that this profession faces. The book did a good job of portraying nurses in a variety of circumstances and the challenges they faced, as well as relating them to issues in the profession as a whole. I've seen several books over the last year come out that focus on the experience of being or becoming a doctor, so this book and its focus on a less glorified part of the medical world should be a welcome addition. Downsides included that the book was somewhat long and focused on exclusively ER nurses, seeming somewhat dismissive of the work that other nurses do. Review copy provided by NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading the 4 nurses stories about their experiences
Each chapter had a different “secret” of nursing and was finished up with research about that topic (secret)

I think this would be a better read for someone who isn’t a nurse.

What a fascinating book! I really enjoyed the fiction aspect that was interspersed with the non-fiction side. It made the book flow really well. I knew nurses were awesome but holy crap, some of the stuff the nurses told in this book was mind-boggling.

As a nurse, I found this book to be a very refreshing read. Straight forward without a lot of over dramatization for the sake of the readers interest. This is a nonfiction book that really tells a story, easily understood by those outside of the profession and rejuvenating for those in the profession. Reading this gave me a new breath for what I do by helping me to see that there are people out there who get it and understand. I recommend this book to all in the profession. See which character you relate with and see if you fall in with any of the stereotypes. I will be more aware of how I speak with my fellow nurses after reading the bulling section. Not that I think I have ever bullied anyone, but I do see where I have possibly enabled it. I also would recommend this to anyone who could potentially become a patient (all humans). Read this to understand why your nurse may not get your soda to you within the minute you ask for it, or why your med may not make it to you at 12 on the dot. Understand how to be a better advocate for yourself and what you can do to make your hospital/clinic stay easier and a better all around experience.

I recently read the memoir The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly and loved it, so my expectations were maybe a little high and I found it hard not to compare these two looks at the medical profession. This may have been unfair, as they are formatted totally differently...but still, I feel this could've been better.

I think nurses are definitely unappreciated heroes and deserved to have this book that sings their praises. I just couldn't help thinking it could have been done a little more skillfully. My husband works as an x-ray tech so I'm aware of some of the bs health care employees have to put up with from administration and doctors alike. But it was still interesting to hear more. Although I am a teacher and do a totally different job, it reminded me of some of the way I am micro-managed about and crap I am made to do. The hospitals are all about making money and obsessed over getting good patient care surveys which in reality may have had more to do with frivolous things like extra pillows and sodas than actual higher quality patient care. They spend time coaching nurses in ways that are proven to have better feedback on patient surveys but have nothing to do with health care.

The book focused on four separate nurses who were at different stages in their career and had different obstacles such as drug addition, cliquey mean girls, divorce and so on. I liked these parts the best--when Robbins would be getting the story from the nurses in their own voices. The problem was she would interject these first hand perspectives with pages and pages of factual essays on a specific topic in the field--bullying in the workplace, stereotypes against nurses, and so on. These sections, while informative and important to the book, went on way, way too long and often just reinforced what the reader could see was true from the actual nurse's experiences. If she really wanted to include these sections she could have either made them more interesting or edited them greatly.

As I said, I mostly enjoyed hearing the nurses' stories and you could tell Robbins cared about her subjects and put a lot of work into it. However, I read a lot of non-fiction and I feel these could've been made more readable, more interesting and just all around BETTER. It was too repetitive and dumbed down for the reader.

I adore insider glimpses into careers or institutions that really interest me. Hearing what they're really like, with all the triumphs and dishy gossip keeps me glued to the pages until the very end of the book. I read my first Alexandra Robbins book years ago, the book she wrote about sororities, Pledged. I was in a sorority in college, and while the book didn't necessarily reflect my experience, I found enough truth in it to really enjoy it. When I saw Nurses up for review on NetGalley, I had to request it, not only because I adore Robbin's books but because it has always been a career that I wanted to know more about. There's a secret side to nursing, much like there is for police officers or firefighters or any career where you deal with life and death on a daily basis. I wanted to hear all the inside dirt and what makes this career more rewarding than any other, according to my nurse friends.

Nurses focuses on four different nurses at different stages in their careers working at four different hospitals in the area (it's never clear exactly where, as locations and names are changed to protect her sources). Molly is a hard-working, veteran nurse trying hard to conceive with her husband. Lara is fighting a prescription pill addiction, a problem that's more prevalent in nursing than in any other career. Juliette is dealing with a catty group of nurses, known as the clique, who ostracize her any chance they get. Sam is a new nurse working at a poorly staffed ER and dealing with her own set of unique problems.

I love the way Alexandra sets up her books. There is a narrative from each of the nurses where you really feel like you're seeing things from their perspectives, interspersed with facts and statistics about different aspects of nursing. The format works and I really enjoyed the flow of it, much as I did Pledged, which was written the same way. It keeps you invested without overwhelming you with facts.

I was riveted by this book. There are all kinds of crazy ER stories, conflicts and affairs with doctors, peeks at the clique-ish behavior of some nurses, and information that everyone needs to have about healthcare. My favorite part was the Nurse Confessions section, where nurses tell you secrets and tips about what you should and should not do in the hospital, such as "Never get sick in July". There are also heartbreaking and intimate moments that you're privy to, and you begin to understand that nurses are the true heroes of the healthcare industry.

Guys, I really loved this book. If you're interested in nursing or even curious about the things that occur in busy ERs and hospitals, then you need to pick this one up! Let me know what you think!

This eARC was provided free from the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an in-depth look at hospitals nationwide and the people providing care the majority of the time. A nurse is now expected to handle double-digit patients at a time with four or five critical patients needing one-on-one care, four needing medication and/or tests done, all while two are constantly asking for another pillow or hounding the nurse for more pain meds than prescribed. It takes a special kind of person to complete nursing school, get thrown in a hospital and immediately work 12-hour days and work so closely with the sick and injured. Also, it's strange holding nurses to the highest of expectations and then ridiculing them when they become emotional over losing a patient or making one mistake after years of countless saves. A great book following four nurses at different hospitals with testimonials from countless nurses across the country, and packed with researched findings on issues faced in a hospital on a daily basis.