When preparing for a new career, having up to date information is essential.
Whether you’re a seasoned nurse with mastery over a lot of skills or you’re a newbie just embarking on a new career path, these ten books are a must-read for every nurse.
They can play an instrumental role in helping you plan your career.
1. What I Wish I Knew About Nursing: Real Advice From Real Nurses on How Deeply Care for Patients While Still Caring for Yourself
This book details some first-time experiences of past nurses.
These real-life stories are both encouraging and inspirational and will reveal some of the lesser-known facts about the profession you won’t get in any of your classes.
2. The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age
In today’s modern age of digital devices, healthcare has changed in many surprising ways.
Before you start working towards getting your family nurse practitioner degree, it would be worth taking the time to take a look at the faster processes and streamline methods the digital world has to offer.
3. Cooked: An Inner City Nursing Memoir
In this non-fiction book, the writer gives some details about the life of a nurse working in a clinical facility on the west side of Chicago.
She outlines her experience as a new nurse and how she dealt with the stresses of the industry to give you a rare insider’s view of this industry.
4. Care Coordination: The Game Changer – How Nursing Is Revolutionizing Quality Care
Dr. Gerrie Lamb discusses the importance of coordinating under the Affordable Care Act.
Written from a view of more than 20 of the nation’s foremost healthcare programs and professional institutions giving their perspectives, the reader gets valuable insight into what’s in store for new nurses entering the field.
5. Nursing Leadership From The Outside In
This book offers valuable tidbits of information from those who have to interact with nurses regularly.
Those in other disciplines give you their perspective on nursing leadership. While, as a nurse, you will have to master many skills, the interactions and relationships you develop with those you have to work with will be equally important.
6. Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness
In this book on human physiology, you not only learn about the anatomy of the human body, but you also get an inside look at what happens to physiology when the patient suffers through various ailments.
7. I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse
Here, you get an inside view from a wide range of first time nursing experiences with frank and honest opinions on why they kept going despite everything.
These stories tell of the ups and downs that all nurses face and help you to find ways to deal with burnout, bureaucratic red tape, and how to balance professionalism with empathy.
8. Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis
Dr. Sanders of the New York Times and the genius behind the show Diagnosis, has compiled a collection of mysterious cases and what it took to diagnose them.
She explains how getting to the root of a problem doesn’t always involve technical equipment but sometimes only needs to listen to a patient’s details and match them with similar cases around the world.
9. Compilations: A Surgeon’s Notes On An Imperfect Science
Here, you get a close-up view of a surgeon’s experiences and interactions while working.
He points out the advantages and disadvantages he has to deal with, giving you a balanced view of what it’s like for anyone engaged in that particular field.
10. Operation Flight Nurse: Real-Life Medical Emergencies
In emergencies, acute care nursing is usually the first one in the case.
In the examples listed in this book, readers get a close-up view of what happens in real-life medical emergencies.
Dr. Kaniecki details examples from his own experience dealing with critical care conditions and experiences.
No matter where you are in your pursuit of a nursing career, head to the nearest bookstore to get these books to motivate yourself.
They will help you to see exactly what’s happening in your chosen profession, so you can get a real picture of what to expect when starting out.
