Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between
Brown, T. (2010).
New York, NY: HarperCollins. 201 pages.
Most nurses start with a bachelor's degree and work their way to a PhD. Author Theresa Brown, a college professor with a PhD in English, decided after the births of her children to become a registered nurse. (As one of her coworkers asked: "You didn't like having summers off?") After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, she started working as an oncology nurse. This memoir describes her first year as a new graduate nurse. Through vignettes about patients, she writes about the challenges of patient care and the sometimes complicated relationships among nurses, physicians, hospital employees, patients, and family members. Chapter 10, titled "Access," describes one of her particularly challenging assignments during a 16-hour shift. A "difficult" patient (who curses and insults the staff) needs a central line for chemotherapy to begin. The situation was made more complicated by his low platelet count. He could not get the potentially life-saving chemotherapy without the central line, and he could not get the central line without a platelet count of at least 50,000. All of Nurse Brown's best-laid plans were interrupted by a reluctant intravenous team, miscommunication with the laboratory about the platelet order, a 4-hour wait in the operating room only to discover he needed more platelets, and an emergency case that further delayed him. The narrative is well-written, with a touch of humor at times. She is a compassionate nurse and an excellent representative of the profession of nursing. This book is for nurses, nursing students, physicians, patients, and anyone who wonders what nurses do.
-Contributed by Maureen Anthony, PhD, RN
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
DOI: 10.1097/01.NHH.0000450109.56939.f8
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind.
Stossel, S. (2013).
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. 400 pages.
Journalist Scott Stossel has navigated a successful life with what can only be described as a horrific burden of crippling anxiety and phobias. He is the fourth generation in his family to suffer from debilitating anxiety, and it appears his children will be the fifth. This book weaves his personal story with the history of anxiety disorders, theories of anxiety, the role of pharmaceutical companies, neuropsychiatry, psychotherapy, and nature versus nurture. In it, he paints a vivid picture of the fight or flight response gone haywire. It is a brave personal account of what has to have been a very difficult personal story to expose. The book, although well written and well researched, would not have been as effective and engaging without his personal experience. Despite the seriousness of his problems, he manages to use self-deprecating humor and has considerable insight with regard to his disorder. Readers with anxiety will appreciate both his honesty and his personal and professional successes in life, as well as learning of the many famous people who share this common health problem. Readers who do not suffer from anxiety will develop a better understanding, compassion, and empathy for those who do. There is still much research to be done in this area, and readers will unfortunately be left with more questions than answers. Still, this is an important, informative book for healthcare professionals. I highly recommend it.
-Contributed by Maureen Anthony, PhD, RN
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
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Join AHRQ on June 11-12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the annual TeamSTEPPS National Conference. Preconference educational sessions begin June 10. Registration is free, but space is limited. Go to http://www.AHRQ.org for more information.