When Chicken Soup Isn't Enough: Stories of Nurses Standing Up for Themselves, Their Patients, and Their Profession by Unknown [ILR Press, 2011] (Paperback) [Paperback]
Books can be attributed to "Unknown" when the author or editor (as applicable) is not known and cannot be discovered. If at all possible, list at least one actual author or editor for a book instead of using "Unknown".
Books whose authorship is purposefully withheld should be attributed instead to Anonymous.
This book is incredible! I had initially tried to read Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul but couldn't finish because it was soooooo sappy full of stories of nurses falling in love with sick orphan babies rather than discussing their skills or professional obstacles. THIS book is exactly what I was looking for. It's a collection of short stories in which nurses of diverse nationalities, degrees, specialties, and experiences write about times they- just like the subtitle states- stood "up for themselves, their patients, and their profession." The personal is political! Unlike the Chicken Soup book, this book shows caring at its best- loving their patients and professions so much that they fight for them! These are nurses who perceived problems and then either alone or collectively sought to solve them in any way possible, sometimes by standing up to coworkers, doctors, managers, and/or administration, sometimes by performing research studies, sometimes by demanding state and/or federal legal changes, and sometimes by challenging the anachronistic stereotypes of nursing that persist. Not only did I learn a ton from this book, but it made me extremely excited to become a part of such an incredibly strong profession.
Many of the stories in this collection are inspiring. Some not as much, such as the nurse who called in sick to protest the lack of equipment. But the final story by Faith Simon entitled, "Standing By One Patient," should be given to all new nurses to remind them of the simple elegance and beauty of a nurse fighting all types of barriers on behalf of a patient.
The usual feel good stories that the Chicken Soup books promote, however this one goes a little deeper looking at what nursing actually involves. I must admit that after reading the first half I skimmed the second half - there are only so many stories a person can read.
Quick read, nice short stories. Many were inspiring. Some were boring. Most are written by nurse leaders (managers, researchers, union-leaders, etc.). As a bedside nurse myself looking for some inspiration, I would have liked to read more stories from other bedside nurses.
Disappointed in how few real life actual nursing stories there were in this book. I wanted to hear about specific cases and how nurses acted during them.