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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Really enjoyed this book. Quick and easy read! Major respect to nurses everywhere!
The format of this book made it difficult to read. While trying to show a typical day in real time, much was lost because of background information inserted in between actual conversations. Ugh, I didn't want to read a long, boring explanation of terms or medical history, I wanted to read the conversation presented without interruption.
This was a great book. A very quick read. An interesting look at the world of nursing through one 12 hour shift.
Four patients may not seem like a lot to tend to but as you follow Theresa through her day, you see just how busy a nurse is. There are so many things they need to make a priority at the same time. Who needs me more right now? What needs to be done first? How can I make this person more comfortable? How can I help this family?
I enjoyed how the author used literary references throughout her descriptions. Since she was a professor before becoming an oncology nurse, it makes sense that she sees the world through that type of view.
Four patients may not seem like a lot to tend to but as you follow Theresa through her day, you see just how busy a nurse is. There are so many things they need to make a priority at the same time. Who needs me more right now? What needs to be done first? How can I make this person more comfortable? How can I help this family?
I enjoyed how the author used literary references throughout her descriptions. Since she was a professor before becoming an oncology nurse, it makes sense that she sees the world through that type of view.
Very well written. Interesting to see how similar shifts can be across different specialties. Maybe just too much detail (although very well explained for non medical types) making 1 shift into a whole book.
An interesting day in the life of this nurse. Interesting perspective, a little slow in parts, but mostly well-written and informative, in an engaging narrative.
3.5 Stars.
This made me want to be a nurse!
Such a fast paced day-in-life story of one nurse’s 12 hour shift.
This made me want to be a nurse!
Such a fast paced day-in-life story of one nurse’s 12 hour shift.
A quick fun read! It was an easy page turner that kept me engaged. Parts of the book were repetitive but I truly enjoyed learning more and more about Theresa and her patients
I loved this book. You really feel immersed in her reality. I didn't know that nurses were the center of it all as much as after reading this book.
In a book as eye-opening as it is riveting, practicing nurse and New York Times columnist Theresa Brown invites us to experience not just a day in the life of a nurse but all the life that happens in just one day on a hospital’s cancer ward. In the span of twelve hours, lives can be lost, life-altering medical treatment decisions made, and dreams fulfilled or irrevocably stolen. In Brown’s skilled hands--as both a dedicated nurse and an insightful chronicler of events--we are given an unprecedented view into the individual struggles as well as the larger truths about medicine in this country, and by shift’s end, we have witnessed something profound about hope and healing and humanity.
Every day, Theresa Brown holds patients' lives in her hands. On this day there are four. There is Mr. Hampton, a patient with lymphoma to whom Brown is charged with administering a powerful drug that could cure him--or kill him; Sheila, who may have been dangerously misdiagnosed; Candace, a returning patient who arrives (perhaps advisedly) with her own disinfectant wipes, cleansing rituals, and demands; and Dorothy, who after six weeks in the hospital may finally go home. Prioritizing and ministering to their needs takes the kind of skill, sensitivity, and, yes, humor that enable a nurse to be a patient’s most ardent advocate in a medical system marked by heartbreaking dysfunction as well as miraculous success.
I've always been a massive fan of medical books. I enjoy anything medical, and I have seen many medical TV shows. Perhaps was because I was considering becoming a nurse that drew me to this book. The Shift was unlike the memoirs that I usually read. This book drew me in from the beginning, and once I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was curious what would happen during Theresa's next shift. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to work as an RN in a cancer unit. I believe it would be the one place I couldn't handle. I enjoyed reading about how an RN shift at the hospital goes, and I found myself identifying with Theresa, her patients, and all the emotions.
I felt so many emotions while reading. There were parts that were difficult to read, but I couldn't put the book down. I'm not a nurse, but when I was in PTA school, I learned about some of the diseases/disorders, which made it easier for me to follow along with Theresa as she described a disease. I can't imagine dealing with three patients at once, which is why I've always thought of nurses as heroes. I loved how no matter how the patients behaved or treated her; she was always present and made them feel as at ease as possible. I know if it were me, I would never be able to get the patients off my mind.
The Shift is not a book you'll easily forget. I simply couldn't. Now I'm curious about her other books. I would strongly recommend this to any medical fanatics out there.
Every day, Theresa Brown holds patients' lives in her hands. On this day there are four. There is Mr. Hampton, a patient with lymphoma to whom Brown is charged with administering a powerful drug that could cure him--or kill him; Sheila, who may have been dangerously misdiagnosed; Candace, a returning patient who arrives (perhaps advisedly) with her own disinfectant wipes, cleansing rituals, and demands; and Dorothy, who after six weeks in the hospital may finally go home. Prioritizing and ministering to their needs takes the kind of skill, sensitivity, and, yes, humor that enable a nurse to be a patient’s most ardent advocate in a medical system marked by heartbreaking dysfunction as well as miraculous success.
I've always been a massive fan of medical books. I enjoy anything medical, and I have seen many medical TV shows. Perhaps was because I was considering becoming a nurse that drew me to this book. The Shift was unlike the memoirs that I usually read. This book drew me in from the beginning, and once I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was curious what would happen during Theresa's next shift. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to work as an RN in a cancer unit. I believe it would be the one place I couldn't handle. I enjoyed reading about how an RN shift at the hospital goes, and I found myself identifying with Theresa, her patients, and all the emotions.
I felt so many emotions while reading. There were parts that were difficult to read, but I couldn't put the book down. I'm not a nurse, but when I was in PTA school, I learned about some of the diseases/disorders, which made it easier for me to follow along with Theresa as she described a disease. I can't imagine dealing with three patients at once, which is why I've always thought of nurses as heroes. I loved how no matter how the patients behaved or treated her; she was always present and made them feel as at ease as possible. I know if it were me, I would never be able to get the patients off my mind.
The Shift is not a book you'll easily forget. I simply couldn't. Now I'm curious about her other books. I would strongly recommend this to any medical fanatics out there.
“One nurse, twelve hours, four patients’ lives.”
An eye opening look into the hectic and often chaotic demands of a nurse during her twelve hour oncology ward shift.
An eye opening look into the hectic and often chaotic demands of a nurse during her twelve hour oncology ward shift.