Honest take of what it takes to become a registered nurse as told by those who work the units.
It covers rotations, trauma patients, family dynamics, and job realities with real stories of success, heartbreak, and exhaustion.

Part of the Masters at Work series.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This true-life look into the experiences of a veteran NYC ED nurse was the perfect book to keep me motivated during nursing school! While the audience for this book may be niche, it lands perfectly with that audience. Nursing is a field rife with burnout, but reading Hadassah’s story as told by Kline was a reminder that nurses take care of their own, themselves, and all of the patients.

So so enlightening!! I'm currently in the process of applying to nursing school and this book confirmed that its the career for me. The author does an amazing job at showing the ups and downs of nursing. She really made nurses seem like heros - which they totally are!! I would totally recommend this book to anyone considering nursing or who wants to learn more about the diverse field of nursing!

The "Becoming" series takes an in-depth look at individuals in different careers, from real estate to hairstyling. This volume, Becoming a Nurse, follows Hadassah Lampert, a long-time nurse in New York. Interesting reading for anyone who enjoys medicine and good human-interest journalism.

Becoming a Nurse by Sonny Kleinfield

You will like this book if you want to be a nurse, if you want to understand those risking their lives against COVID, if you like feel-good, uplifting stories about people who help others and need a break from wildfires, politics, and death counts. You won’t like this book if you don’t like idealized accounts of positions of power, if you have had bad experiences with nurses and expect that will be included in this book, if you want an accurate of account of what being a nurse is like.

Spoiler version: Sonny Kleinfield shadowed an award winning nurse in an Emergency Department in Brooklyn, NY (prior to COVID) and wrote a book about what being a nurse is like based on this experience. It is optimistic and sweet, with minor mentions of the difficult or ugly parts of nursing and healthcare. It includes some good research about nursing, both historically and at present. It will leave you feeling wholesome and happy.

It’s a quick read about the most perfect nurse with the imperfections of the field treated footnotes, but the writing is good enough that the story is effecting. It’s worth it if you want to cry but feel better at the end. Just don’t think about it too hard.

I am a health care worker. Both of my sisters are nurses. My mom was a bedside nurse for over a decade before becoming a nurse practitioner. From my personal experience, this book and what it shows as real life nursing is about as real as Disney’s Pocahantas. It might have some really good songs, it might make you feel better about the world, but don’t write a college essay based on it. I actually really enjoyed reading it because it reminded me of why I got into healthcare in the first place, but if you know nothing of health care and are looking to change your career, don’t trust this book as an accurate guide. Use it as a jumping off point, as the ideal, as the reason to show up at the hospital even in a pandemic. Don’t read this and expect nurses to be that perfect, that kind to all patients, that kind to each other. I wish we were, but, especially in the ED or L&D, my unit, there are many toxic people. They’re attracted to the adrenaline rush and how stressful situations can excuse poor behavior. I wish this book showed the truth. Until it does, I feel obligated to point out its weaknesses.

Trigger Warnings: Dismissive nurses portrayed as heroes, child death, medical stories and procedures, toxic healthcare practices treated as quirky necessities.

Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart

I got a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not really sure what to make of this book. I'm not exactly sure who would actually read this book because I'm assuming most people who will pick this up will be either in nursing school already or a newer nurse. I am in the latter of this category and unfortunately I didn't find this helpful whatsoever. Everything in this I had already learned through nursing school or from other nurses in my life. I think the information could be helpful if someone was interested in what nurses actually do on a day to day basis besides that I don't think it's very helpful. This would probably be a three star read but the language in this was pretty sexist and focused on women in the profession which made me drop my rating down to a two star. I understand that nursing is a more female driven career however the only time a guy nurse was mentioned was in the form of "male nurse". Anytime a hypothetical nurse was brought up it was in the form of "she" or "her" which was very frustrating.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. Reading it made my respect for nurses even more. I also liked the book was set in Lenox Hospital. This is a very demanding work choice, and it gives us, the ones they are there for, a clear look at all the do. Kudos!!! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

A thoughtful exploration of the nursing profession. Especially heroic in light of the current pandemic. Would definitely recommend to librarians and counselors who are helping guide young people to their chosen profession, or to anyone considering a career change to healthcare.