I Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out - True Stories of Becoming a Nurse

Great, short nursing vignettes that make this a quick and easy read when you only have a short amount of time. Reminds me of the Chicken Soup Series...as there are short nursing stories that engage the reader and then can easily be put down. Purchased as a gift for a newly greaduated nurse...and it was well received and appreciated.

VERY INTERESTING, POIGNANT, ANECDOTAL STORIES TOLD FROM THE BEDSIDE AS ONLY A NURSE CAN. AS A THIRTY YEAR VETERAN OF PROFESSIONAL NURSING MYSELF, I CAN RELATE, AND ADD MY OWN STORIES! GOOD BOOK FOR THOSE JUST STARTING A NURSING CAREER, TO FIND SUPPORT AND BONHOMIE, AND FOR THOSE NOW RETIRED, TO RELIVE THE MEMORIES, OR FOR ANYONE CURIOUS AS TO WHAT NURSING IS ALL ABOUT.

Great book. Kept me up too late already, because I had trouble putting it down. As a nurse, I found myself nodding in agreement, laughing, and sometimes crying. It's wonderful insight into the challenges and triumphs of nursing.

It's hard being a new nurse! Especially being put on a unit with a bunch of other seasoned nurses. I talked to my mentor to see if she had any books she could recommend, kind of like a confidence booster. This was one of the books and after reading I now know why she loved it soooooo much! It's great for new and seasoned nurses alike!

Some of the essays are well written and some drag on. The book looks at different nursing specialties and the individual encounters with patients and doctors. At times I felt the individuals were too judgmental with regards to physicians.

I LOVE this book! Has some amazing advice for people considering nursing who don't think they're strong enough and definitely showed me nursing is the field for me. Very well written stories, perfect read for anyone.

As I contemplate a second career at 50, nursing seemed a natural follow-on to 20 years on the periphery of healthcare administration After reading all of the essays Lee Gutkind has brought together, this is a career I am certain I want to move into.

You'll laugh, cry, learn and grow as you travel with these writers through his/her own story!

This is a true portrait of nursing. These nurses describe the feelings both positive and negative that I encountered during my 22 years of practice. There is an overwhelming feeling of fear as a new graduate which becomes an overwhelming respect for the profession as one grows in knowledge and incite. So well written. I loved this book.

In general, this is a fascinating book, especially for those who are, or have been in the nursing profession. The editors surprised me by starting with the brittle and weak story of a young, inexperienced, nurse who had little or no compasion for her dying patient. I nearly tossed the book aside. Now I am glad I did not. The stories of compassion and skill recounted by other nurses definitely made the book interesting and worthwhile. Some stories were worth reading twice.
Reading this book will expand the interests of those comtemplating nursing as a career and for those currently enrolled in a nursing program. Inspiration will follow.

This collection of essays really nails the essence of nursing. While there are essays about the "big two" of nursing--birth and death--there are also wonderful essays about the mundane but critical spaces in between. The nurse-writers reveal themselves to be competent, intelligent, caring, conflicted, and compassionate. The writing is very high quality and reveals a diversity of experience. As a nurse of 25 years, I can say that this book illuminated the spectrum of thoughts and feelings that I myself have had as a nurse. This would make a great gift to someone graduating as a nurse or contemplating becoming a nurse, but I recommend it for anyone who loves a good read about life. I'd love for doctors,administrators, and policymakers to read this collection. Nurses make the difference.

Stories of mild interest that were neither compelling nor generally well written. Most of the stories were puerile and pointless. I would not recommend it for a young person considering the profession. It was a cheap way to write a book.

I love Lee Gutkind's compilations. His contributors are down to earth, yet lyrical at the same time. These diverse stories from nurses are compelling first-person accounts about the day-to-day life of nurses in a variety of settings, from oncology floors and pediactrics to hospice care and emergency rooms.

All of the essays reveal the deep heart of a nurse, yet highlight their professionalism in the face of disaster and despair. These nurses get 'er done, although they might sink down into a chair after their shift and weep. Many of the contributors are also writers, some with MFA degrees, so the essays are well written as well.

I especially appreciated hearing from nurses who are motivated by their faith. One contributor works aboard the Africa Mercy, a hospital ship staffed entirely by volunteers who raise their own support through the Christian organization Mercy Ships. Another devoted herself to women's and children's health as a missionary in China. Too often, missionaries and Christian organizations are vilified for being (erroneously) considered no more than proselytizers.

After you read and enjoy this book, you will want to read Lee Gutkind's Becoming a Doctor, a collection of stories from doctors in training and in practice.

This book is an amazing read for any nursing student, novice nurse, experienced or retired nurse. It touches on many different fields and experiences that nurses go through on a daily basis. I feel even more validated in the career I have chosen and can say I am proud to be a nurse. The stories have motivated me and excited me for where nursing can take my career and life.