The Reviews
Are In!
When Being a
Nurse Was Fun: Tales From My Life as a Nurse by Ann Watt
is an inspiring, honest memoir about the life and times
of the authors years as a nurse. This accomplished woman
started out as a nurse in her twenties and spent over 30 years
in critical care nursing. In addition to stories from her nursing
career, the author provides a glimpse into her personal life,
including her early years as a nursing student when her father
passed, and how she helped her mother as best she could, given
the stressors of her nursing education. Between these lines,
you will discover not just a nurse, but a caring woman who is
all too human, and that is just one of the many things I like
about this book. Watt explains how even nurses find ways of
coping with life and pressurewith a sense of humor that
others may not understand or relate to. I also like the before
and after comparisons of how life and work were before Covid,
and after. I have nurses in my own life, and the care they give
cant be measured. They go above and beyond, sometimes
with little regard for themselves.
As the title suggests,
Watt describes how nursing was once fun, but then her journey
brought challenges and trials, both in her professional career
and personal life. In all the stressful times, its a relief
to read that her connections with fellow nurses helped her throughactually,
they helped one another through. Right away I noticed the authors
personable style. Its like shes talking to you across
your kitchen table. Her warm, funny style is what makes this
a book you want to finish in one sitting. Her stories will bring
your emotions to the surface, both laughter and tears.
To laypersons, the life
of a nurse, doctor, or others in the medical field can seem
like a wonderful mystery, but Watt sheds light on these professionals
in a practical, emotional way that will leave you with the feeling
that these are ordinary people doing extraordinary things to
care for others. Watt is straightforward without bashing, funny
without being rude. She shows how to find light and laughs in
dark, difficult times. For an extremely enjoyable and informative
read, especially for aspiring nursing students, you cant
get any better than When Being a Nurse Was Fun: Tales
From My Life as a Nurse by Ann Watt. - Reader
Views, The Book Review Blog
Capturing attention
from the start with light-hearted but revealing anecdotes
from registered nurse and debut author Watt, When Being a Nurse
was Fun is a likable, engaging memoir that demystifies the world
of healthcare for the everyday reader. Watt pleases her audience
with short, memorably written accounts of her time in the ICU
during night shifts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island hospitals,
over a career of 30 years. With a clear-eyed prose that is equally
digestible and beguiling, stories highlight relationships with
co-workers and encounters with patients that run the gamut from
shocking to comic to inspiring, especially in instances where
patients let Watt know she had made a significant impact on
their lives.
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 peoples
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 Watts 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. -
Book Life Reviews
"When
Being a Nurse Was Fun" recounts Ann Watts 31-year critical
care nursing career, with the aim of encouraging others to
enter the field.
Before she
moved to an off-hospital e-ICU telehealth position, Watts
career was primarily spent in a cardiovascular thoracic (heart/lungs)
unit. She details how the staff of nurses certified in Advanced
Cardiac Life Support pulled together when a patient was admitted
from the ER or after surgery, dividing their many duties including
phlebotomy (blood draws), medications or charting.
Humor often
helped Watt and her colleagues handle the demands of patient care,
from teasing an intern whose patterned boxers were visible under
his scrubs to pranking each other with fake phone calls. She recalls
a busty nurse leaning over a cardiac patient in need of resuscitation.
As the nurse performed emergency CPR, her cleavage bounced with
each compression. The patient awoke, and, with big eyes, asked
"Am I dreaming?"eliciting laughter from everyone
in the room.
More seriously,
the author provides helpful information for new or potential nurses
about working holidays and night shifts, providing patient hygiene
(she's "seen it all"), handling interns, residents and
sexist patients, and learning to deal with dying patients and
their loved ones.
Watts
style is conversational, as if sharing stories among friends,
often for a laugh. Her recollections are vivid, realistic, and
instructive as she transforms from a naive young nurse to one
determined to fight for her own mental health via job changes
while also standing up to other medical providers or her own institution
to ensure the best patient care.
While general
readers might enjoy some of her stories, the book is principally
for those new to the field or considering a nursing career. This
audience will appreciate learning of the challenges and the triumphs
of providing critical care for vulnerable patients. Also available
as an ebook. - Blue
Ink Review
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