I've just finished reading a book I was asked to review. (This is an uncompensated review, and as such, very honest. You'll never see me do a paid review of anything - 'cause I won't sell out like that.) It's called "reflections on doctors," edited by Terry Ratner, RN, MFA, and it's overall a satisfying read.
The book consists of a number of essays written by nurses, covering various aspects of working with doctors. I found some of the essays vastly more interesting than others, and there were a couple that came across as bragging cleverly packaged into a story about a doctor. But taken together, these essays form a tidy cross-section of the world of medicine, illustrating plenty of different personality types and the dynamics between the players in that world. Some of these nurse-writers are strong, willful types, and some seem more the meek "Yes, Doctor" types - but there's a refreshing variety in the kinds of stories they tell.
My favorite essays in the book tended to illustrate the more human side of physicians, like "A Physician's Definition of Failure" by Mindy Owen, and "Recognition" by Emily McGee (of
CRZEGRL fame). Both of these were incredibly well-written, and I found myself imagining physicians and nurses I know into the all-too-familiar situations as I read them.
A couple of essays, "Where the Heart Rules" by Keith Carlson (of
Digital Doorway renown) and "The Best Doctor This Side of Heaven" by Angela Posey-Arnold were inspirational stories of how multidisciplinary teams can do amazing things when traditional roles and pecking orders are abandoned in favor of what's best for the individual situation or patient. And "Please Help My Son Not Die" by Nancy Leigh Harless recounts a case of a nurse imparting valuable wisdom and sharing her experience with less-seasoned doctors in war-torn Kosovo.
The writing throughout the book is as varied as the individual nurses behind the stories; as with any kind of collection, the reader has to take that into account when moving from one writer to the next. But all in all, Ms. Ratner has selected a group of essays that tell the very human stories of different kinds of physicians and the nurses who watch their backs.
I've just finished reading a book I was asked to review. (This is an uncompensated review, and as such, very honest. You'll never see me do a paid review of anything - 'cause I won't sell out like that.) It's called "reflections on doctors," edited by Terry Ratner, RN, MFA, and it's overall a satisfying read.
The book consists of a number of essays written by nurses, covering various aspects of working with doctors. I found some of the essays vastly more interesting than others, and there were a couple that came across as bragging cleverly packaged into a story about a doctor. But taken together, these essays form a tidy cross-section of the world of medicine, illustrating plenty of different personality types and the dynamics between the players in that world. Some of these nurse-writers are strong, willful types, and some seem more the meek "Yes, Doctor" types - but there's a refreshing variety in the kinds of stories they tell.
My favorite essays in the book tended to illustrate the more human side of physicians, like "A Physician's Definition of Failure" by Mindy Owen, and "Recognition" by Emily McGee (of CRZEGRL fame). Both of these were incredibly well-written, and I found myself imagining physicians and nurses I know into the all-too-familiar situations as I read them.
A couple of essays, "Where the Heart Rules" by Keith Carlson (of Digital Doorway renown) and "The Best Doctor This Side of Heaven" by Angela Posey-Arnold were inspirational stories of how multidisciplinary teams can do amazing things when traditional roles and pecking orders are abandoned in favor of what's best for the individual situation or patient. And "Please Help My Son Not Die" by Nancy Leigh Harless recounts a case of a nurse imparting valuable wisdom and sharing her experience with less-seasoned doctors in war-torn Kosovo.
The writing throughout the book is as varied as the individual nurses behind the stories; as with any kind of collection, the reader has to take that into account when moving from one writer to the next. But all in all, Ms. Ratner has selected a group of essays that tell the very human stories of different kinds of physicians and the nurses who watch their backs.