Good ICU Nursing Books (Non Textbooks)

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I have read James Kelly's - Where night is Day "The world of the ICU"

Does anyone else know of good books that explain ICU nursing - that's not a text books on critical care. "A day in the life" so to speak?

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Specializes in ICU.

I don't know, but I will be following this thread with interest. I love medical nonfiction!

How about Intensive Care: The Story of a Nurse by Echo Heron? I loved that one.

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Fast Facts for Critical Care by Kathy White

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'The ICU Book' by Paul Marino.. I could almost call it a mini text book lol it is helpful for those new to critical care though :raises hand:

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"A Nurses Story" by Tilda Shalof...her experiences working in a Toronto ICU. I couldn't put it down.

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm not 100% sure this is what you're looking for, but the book 'When Chicken Soup Isn't Enough' by Suzanne Gordon is fantastic.

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Specializes in Cardiac, stroke, telemetry,Med-surgical.

Absolutely agree with this recommendation: easy to read; explains a lot. One of the best books, if not the best.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg.
Absolutely agree with this recommendation: easy to read; explains a lot. One of the best books, if not the best.

Which recommendation?

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"A Nurses Story" by Tilda Shalof...her experiences working in a Toronto ICU. I couldn't put it down.

An awesome book! "The Makings of a Nurse" by Tilda Shalof is also similar and a great read.

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Any recommendations on books covering ICU clinical topics? I have "The ICU Book" and liked it very much.

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Specializes in Research & Critical Care.

For a "day in the life," check out ICUfaqs.org. It was written by an RN for new critical care RNs. One I just found was the AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing. It's great to get organized. I wish I had read the section on assessments when I was first starting. It seemed so overwhelming and I like how this book puts into words some of the things that we quickly do in our heads that aren't always passed to our newbies so well.

For more clinical-type references, I have these:

The ICU Book by Paul Marino I think is a must-read, but can be very progressive and controversial.

Critical Care Medicine at a Glance by Richard Leach is a great overview with lots of diagrams and charts to really break things down. It's British, so get ready for words like "haemodynamics."

One of the first books I had bought was Fluid & Electrolyte Balance by Norma Metheny as I quickly found a lot of what I do is aimed at correcting and maintaining electrolyte balances, especially with the vast number of compromised kidneys we see.

Finally, Pass CCRN! by Robin Dennison is a good all-around resource that has everything in outline format that I love, similar to how I study in school. For example, pneumonia is broken down by definition, etiology, pathophysiology, presentation, nursing diagnoses, and management.

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