I Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse Paperback – April 9, 2013

My Mother recently passed, after over two months in the hospital and a few days in hospice. I was fortunate to be able to temporarily leave my job to be with her and got to know some incredible nurses, who helped immeasureably in preserving her quality of life (whatever that was as she was dying from cancer and suffering from dementia.) One CNA, in particular, came to her bedside at the beginning of her every night shift, eliciting a response like that of a kid on Christmas morning woken by Santa Claus. This whole experience made me wonder how these wonderful nurses developed their empathy and understanding, while remaining sufficiently detatched to be good clinicians. This book answered my questions better than I could have ever expected. I call it only a tough read because of my recent experience, but reading it was an uplifting, life-affirming experience.

I loved this book of essays. They were written by nurses involved in many different aspects of nursing. They were personal experiences so I as a reader cared about the people (authors) as the narratives evolved. The whole collection felt authentic. I recommend this book to those who like to read about the medical profession from the point of view of nurses.

I enjoyed reading others journeys getting into the field of nursing but the book wasn't what I expected. In certain ways, it feels some of the stories are outdated. One story mentions how CNA is below a nursing student and a certain task wasn't her job, and yeah the position is, but many schools are now requiring hours of CNA work for nursing applications and in a way, I felt belittled as a working CNA! In another story, a creative type got into nursing school by acing an interview!!!! If only that were my case. On the other hand, there were some inspiring stories that are making me look forward to getting some experience under my belt to pursue volunteer work abroad.

Great book. I was sucked into buying this book after relating to the the small portion available under the "look inside" tab on Amazon. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in the medical field, as well as to people who either know a nurse or want to be one. As a student nurse, I am finding that I relate to a lot of the stories, and it is comforting to know that someone went through much of what I am going through now. Sometimes it feels like a struggle, and reading about other people's experiences help.

I love this book! I received this book from a nurse while I was in nursing school, but did not read it until my first few months as a nurse. These short stories helped me get through some of my toughest days, and brought me strength when I was doubting myself. Some are better than others, but overall the variety and different experiences were a perfect mix. I have since given this book to several new nurses and nursing students that I've mentored; I hope they have also found the inspiration and strength from this book!

The book was great. I laughed out loud in some stories, and shed tears in others. It really made me appreciate the aspects of nursing I don't always think about and really contemplate this profession and all it encompasses. As a nursing student, it was humbling to read the raw material of what nurses face every day. I would definitely read this again in the future.

As a fairly new nurse I am so glad I read this book at this exact moment in my life and career. It made me feel empowered and helped me to reflect on the bad, the good and why these things together are so rewarding. It really takes all of that stuff to inspire me to continue coming back. These were simple and mostly everyday stories that brought happiness and evoking my passion further.

I bought two copies (both used). One was gift... this one, since its damaged will be mine. Someone's grandpa would be sad...