Recommended reading

You should read an absolutely awesome book called:

NOTES ON NURSING

by Florence Nightengale

It is an old book, but worth reading over and over again. Absolutely wonderful!

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely add this one to my reading list!

I had a pretty good prescribed text for my first semester - Context of Nursing. It covered quite a bit - from milestones in nursing, art and science of nursing, nursing theory, various definitions of nursing, nursing history, even the popular images and representations of nurses and nursing. You know, the battleaxe, handmaiden, ministering angel etc.

If you can find something similar it may be a good read for you.

I just looked up the Florence Nightingale book on Amazon.com and it looks very interesting. Thanks for bringing it up

A really wonderful movie that makes me proud to be a nurse is "Wit". It's kind of depressing, though, so grab the kleenex. It's a movie based on the perspective of a woman dying of cancer. Very powerful! The acting is great too.

A book I read while in school is called "Unforgettable Faces: through the eyes of a nurse practitioner." Author is Elizabeth D. Tate. It is written by a nurse practitioner, but I think helpful for all nursing students. There are 19 interesting, well written short stories followed by a very reader-friendly description of the pathophysiology and/or the social and psychological implications of the issue in the story. It helps to personalize the technical side of nursing.

I'm currently reading a book called "Trauma Junkie" by Janice Hudson. It's her memoirs of being an emergency flight nurse in California. If you're into trauma/ER, this is a good read.

i'm working on my pre-reqs right now and have two favorite books so far:

baby catcher: chronicles of a modern midwife by peggy vincent and life support : three nurses on the front lines by suzanne gordon.