Was there ever a time when being a nurse was fun? Absolutely. Ann will tell you how she, and the nurses with whom she worked, created and enjoyed comical situations before the COVID-19 pandemic. Ann shares stories of the unbelievable events she encountered and the hilarity which was often found in absurd situations.
Her tales begin when she was a student nurse and progress through her thirty years as a critical care RN. Over the course of her nursing careeer, Ann learned the importance of teamwork and valuing her colleagues. She also embaced the concept of finding humor at work while performing her duties.
Although not every predicament Ann experienced was funny, this lighthearted book demonstrates the importance of laughter and camaraderie with colleagues. Nurses conceal a wide range of emotions and contend with a variety of circumstances both at work and off duty. While employed as a nurse--espeically in an ICU--heartache, frustrations, and stress are inevitable. But when RNs focus on the positive aspects of this caring profession and share humor with each other, they are able to endure many challenges and find amusement in their job.
The highly valued camaraderie between the nursing staff and doctors is demonstrated with stories about teamwork while providing life-preserving care. Watt sketches quick portraits of a host of characters, as Ann's colleagues prank and bond in colorful ways throughout the years. A sense of regret informs some memories, as when she describes the isolation endured by AIDS patients in the early days of that epidemic, before the development of effective treatments. Elsewhere, delightful stories of encounters with patients who were not on their best behavior. “Nurses are tolerant of other people’s behavior and are sympathetic to the range of emotions patients feel,” Watt writes, and her feeling of responsibility for them each night shift powers the book.
Watt poignantly requests readers to be appreciative of the care that nurses give and sensitive to the difficult situations they continually face, especially in the pandemic era. In a direct, professional style, she communicates the clear break she achieves from work life and home life. Hiking accomplishments on the East Coast, along with extensive travel, demonstrate Watt’s dedication to her own health. That striving spirit, buoyant humor, and a deep respect for her profession makes Watt a strong ambassador for nurses, imparting her wisdom in a warm and entertaining voice.
Takeaway: Illuminating memoir of life as a night-shift RN.
Comparable Titles: Rachel E Ostrander’s Nurse: A Memoir, Christie Watson’s The Language of Kindness.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
