There were points in the semester where I needed some encouragement, so I picked up two books that I thought would cheer me up and make me feel not so alone. And for the most part, those two books did just that, though one was a little bit more successful than the other.
The first book I picked up was Becoming Nursey: From Code Blues to Code Browns, How to Care for Your Patients and Yourself by Kati Kleber, BSN RN. I’m really glad that I read this book as it pertains to so much of my life as a nursing student. A lot of what Kati covers in the book is what I have to look forward to in my future. There were parts that I didn’t exactly agree with (such as when to get all of your charting done – from what I have seen during my clinicals, it is not always possible to get your charting done right then and there), but overall, I thought she gave some really great life-work balance advice. There were also parts where she came off a little over-confident in herself. I don’t really know how to explain it, but there were parts where I almost disliked her, to be honest. Also, there were quite a few typos (which will be really embarrassing if there are any in this review) that really distracted me at times. Overall, though, I thought it was a solid book giving just a glimpse into the wonderful, crazy, amazing world of nursing and I gave it 4 stars.
The second book I picked up was First Year Nurse: Wisdom, Warnings, and What I Wish I’d Known My First 100 Days On The Job edited by Barbara Arnoldussen, RN, MBA. Despite the fact that this was more geared towards already/almost practicing nurses, I felt like it soothed my nerves a little bit better than Becoming Nursey. I picked it up at the tail end of the semester when I was at probably my lowest point of doubting everything I’ve learned so far and my competence as a nurse, so reading these quotes helped me remember that I am capable of being a fantastic nurse and that I am not alone in feeling overwhelmed. It also helped me remember why I wanted to go into this profession to begin with. I look forward to reading this in the future because I know I will need the encouragement of these nurses again. I ended up giving it 4.5 stars.
NerdyNurseDaria 