<![CDATA[A Nurse's Story]]>

false <![CDATA[A Nurse's Story]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181667430m/1177520.jpg 1177520 1 The team of nurses that Tilda Shalof found herself working with in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a big-city hospital was known as “Laura’s Line.” They were a bit wild: smart, funny, disrespectful of authority, but also caring and incredibly committed to their jobs. Laura set the tone with her quick remarks. Frances, from Newfoundland, was famous for her improvised recipes. Justine, the union rep, wore t-shirts emblazoned with defiant slogans, like “Nurses Care But It’s Not in the Budget.” Shalof was the one who had been to university. The others accused her of being “sooo sensitive.” They depended upon one another. Working in the ICU was both emotionally grueling and physically exhausting. Many patients, quite simply, were dying, and the staff strove mightily to prolong their lives. With their skill, dedication, and the resources of modern science, they sometimes were almost too successful. Doctors and nurses alike wondered if what they did for terminally-ill patients was not, in some cases, too extreme. A number of patients were admitted when it was too late even for heroic measures. A boy struck down by a cerebral aneurysm in the middle of a little-league hockey game. A woman rescued – too late – from a burning house. It all took its toll on the staff. And yet, on good days, they thrived on what they did. Shalof describes a colleague who is managing a “crashing” patient: “I looked at her. Nicky was flushed with excitement. She was doing five different things at the same time, planning ahead for another five. She was totally focused, in her element, in control, completely at home with the chaos. There was a huge smile on her face. Nurses like to fix things. If they can.” Shalof, a veteran ICU nurse, reveals what it is really like to work behind the closed hospital curtains. The drama, the sardonic humour, the grinding workload, the cheerful camaraderie, the big issues and the small, all are brought vividly to life in this remarkable book. From the Hardcover edition. 1165322 22 2 2005 A Nurse's Story total:47|5:15|4:17|3:10|2:5|1:0| 47 183 93 14 5 0 false false Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Thu Mar 19 17:31:07 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 04:55:48 -0700 2009
Tilda Shalof begins her nursing career with great trepidation and a lack of self-confidence. Working on a life-like dummy in a classroom is a whole lot different than attempting t...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 24 10:58:43 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 24 10:59:50 -0800 2008 2 0 false false Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 11:22:53 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 07:58:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 11:47:45 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 10:08:40 -0700 2009
This story by Tilda Shalof expresses part of the same journey she describes in her book The Making of a Nurse. Only she wrote A Nurse's Story first and I read it second. Still very highly recommended -- fo...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Apr 01 14:31:04 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 14:31:35 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Dec 21 20:10:14 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 21 20:11:06 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Fri Apr 04 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 02 16:25:31 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 02 16:25:31 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Nov 28 14:49:45 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 14:50:12 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Fri Feb 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 01 12:28:04 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 20 17:35:28 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Dec 30 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Feb 08 09:29:39 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 08 09:31:56 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Thu Nov 01 20:19:01 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 01 20:16:34 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 01 20:18:41 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Tue Jun 17 06:44:25 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 17 06:44:25 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Dec 18 11:18:00 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 11:18:38 -0800 2007 4 0 false false Sun Nov 02 15:22:28 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 02 15:22:41 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Wed Nov 18 08:44:49 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 08:44:49 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Sun Oct 18 19:39:39 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 19:39:39 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 09 05:54:28 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 05:54:28 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Sep 19 08:10:34 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 08:10:34 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Aug 17 18:01:45 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 18:01:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 04 14:51:12 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 19:49:16 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 14:51:12 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1177520