What's a good book to read about the realities of nursing

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm enrolled in school now, and taking my prereqs to become a nurse. I'm just starting out and really intrigued with the whole nursing field. If anyone knows of a really good book to read about nursing please recommend!

Thanks in advance:D

Specializes in Oncology/MedSurg.

thats so funny that you asked that, i was going to post " i just read a good book" anyway, its called Intensive Care, by Echo Heron. SHes the author and she writes about herself through nursing school and into her career, she tells alot of good stories and i really enjoyed it. hope you do to!

IMHO.. every medical student...nursing, docs, ot anyone else should be required to read House of God...don`t remember the author...sorry...

I just ordered one of Echo Herons books. I have to do a book report for school and I saw her books on the Barnes and Noble web site. They sound very compelling, can't wait to read it!

You can go on B&N web site and do a search. There are abstracts and reviews on the books. I saw more books than I can afford right now that look really great.

I read NURSES The Human Touch a while back and it captures the real attitudes of nurses. Talks about everything from patient care, to administrators, dealing with doctors, and burn out. Its written by Michael Brown, but its actually taken from interviews with many nurses, so in reality its the views and experiences of many. ALso JUST A NURSE is a great book written pretty much in the same manner but I dont remember who wrote it. I highly recommend both although they might begin to make you wonder what you're getting yourself into! Anyway I hope you get a chance to read them. :)

Specializes in ICU, nutrition.

Don't be surprised if when you start reading an Echo Heron book if you can't put it down. When I read Intensive Care, I'd read so late at night (or in the AM after work) that I was missing out on sleep! I just could not put it down. I felt, especially during the parts about nursing school, that I was reading my OWN story.

I've read all of Echo Heron's non-fiction books... "Intensive Care," "Condition Critical," and "Tending Lives." Tending Lives was by far the absolute most engrossing nursing book I have ever read. It's a compilation of many nurse stories told by nurses in different disciplines, from prison nursing to visiting RN's ... everything. It is fascinating.

I highly recommend it.

I remember when I was in high school reading the book, "Nurse", by Peggy Anderson. It was written in the 70's, so there are some things that are a little dated, but overall it is still spot on for what nursing is like. My mother made me read it because she wanted me to have some idea of what I was getting into, not just all the stuff you get from TV/movies.

That book really caused a stir when it came out because it was so blunt about some of the problems in nursing. So, like I said, even though there are some things that are no longer in current practice, it is still an excellent book.

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Echo Heron's three non-fiction books are a must - Intensive Care, Condition Critical, and Tending Lives. Cried my eyes out during the Oklahoma Bombing section in Tending Lives - very eerie in light of 9-11.

The House of God is very mysogynistic but darkly humorous, a black comedy. I believe the writer was Samuel Shem. I believe that the Rules of the House of God should be memorized by all medical personnel.

One book that we had to read in school was not about nursing but great anyway...

"Cry of the Damaged Man" Tony Moore, is a Dr. who had a serious car accident in Melbourne and had a long recovery process which he explains so amazingly well.

It will allow you to realise some of what are patients are thinking... well worth the read...

:)

Agree with other posters about Echo Heron's books. I haven't read Tending Lives (but sounds like I need to) though. Intensive Care and Condition Critical are excellent, very realistic books about nursing.....highly recommend them to anyone who wants to know about the whole scope of nursing.....(the good, the bad, and the ugly....)

Read "Nurse Abuse" by Gasparis and Swirsky. Also read the threads on this bulletin board under "would you recommend nursing as a profession," particularly "nursing is pathetic" as well as the more positive threads. You will definitely get a wide variety of opinions and experiences.

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