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Francis O Walker

A practical guide

This is a concise, readable account of things you need to know before becoming a patient in a hospital. The author, an experience nurse, discusses hospital routines, hospital workers, and common patient and family questions in a way that is balanced, thoughtful and engaging. The book can be read in a little over an hour and contains a great deal of useful information. I would recommend this book to medical students and residents to remind them of the different roles of all the members of the health care team. I wish I had access to something like this early in my medical career. Of course, it is designed as a practical guide for patients and families and it should be mandatory reading for any layperson unfamiliar with hospital routine prior to crossing a hospital threshold, including visitors. I would also recommend it to hospital administrators and hospital board members so that they can fully appreciate the teamwork that is involved in direct patient care--roles completely independent of spreadsheets, public relations and certificates of need.

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021

Joe Tye

A worthy successor to Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale

This is an extraordinary book and I agree with other reviewers who suggest that it should be required reading for anyone working in, or planning to work in, the healthcare professions. The author has brilliantly blended her own stories, practical and immediately useful advice for successfully completing nursing school and surviving the first few years of practice, and a big dollop of humor and wisdom. And it is written with the witty brilliance of a professional author - this is a book that Bill Bryson would have been proud to have written. This is a book that Florence Nightingale would have recognized as having been a worthy successor to her own "Notes on Nursing."If you know someone who is in nursing school, planning to go to nursing school, or in the first few years of practice you can do them a huge favor by giving them a copy of this wonderful book. If you are on the faculty or administration of a nursing school, college for allied health professions, or graduate program in healthcare or nursing administration you can do your students a big favor by making this book a part of the curriculum.

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2015

DBrooke

Future nurses: you won't regret your purchase!!

This book is so inspiring! I am currently taking prerequisite courses for nursing school and have been keeping up with all of Kati's posts and of course this book as inspiration! I decided on nursing school because I knew I was interested in life science and learning about illnesses and the human body, etc, but I also wanted a job where every day I am faced with new challenges. Kati helps explain not only basic things about nursing/nursing school, but also how to be a great nurse, both emotionally and with knowledge from nursing school. I wish every aspired nursing student would read this so that they can see that this job is not only about taking care of people, but also about making a difference. This is the sole reason I fell in love with this field. Without Kati's blog/book, I wouldn't have really considered nursing mainly because you hear the horror stories about nursing school (haha) but it is motivating and she really proves that if you put your mind to anything and everything you want to be/do, then you can be that way with hard work and passion. A must read for anyone thinking about nursing!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 16, 2015

KTLadybug

A Must Read for Nurses and Non-Nurses

I could never be a nurse. It's just too hard. Not only do they have to physically take care of patients (and their body fluids and waste products) but emotionally support said patients, their families, their doctors, and supervise an army of certified nursing aids. Did I mention that they also must diagnose, manage, and monitor disease in real time?It was under these auspices that I came across Becoming Nursey by Katie Kleber while I was working to promote my own book. I checked her out on twitter (@NurseEyeRoll) and was intrigued enough to jump on Amazon and buy the book. I was very glad I did.This is a must read for new nursing graduates, students, and anyone who dreams of entering this sacred profession. The practical information contained in this book is priceless. Everything from surviving nursing school, to passing board exams, to organizing your time as a floor nurse is covered. The text is a clear, organized, and easy to follow set of instructions for tackling day to day challenges. How I wish I had this type of manual for medical school and residency!What I think is almost more valuable, however, to not only nurses but also doctors and the community as a whole, is the emotional candor of the book. Often humorous, sometimes heart-breaking, Kati paints in broad brush strokes the humanity of the profession in general.We laugh at the descriptions of the physical pitfalls when she describes tackling the not so delicate parts of her job, and we cry when she tells of the emotional hazards we all face while caring for our fellow human beings.Buy it.It's a great read!

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2015