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I Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out

True Stories of Becoming a Nurse

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I Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out

By: Lee Gutkind
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
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About this listen

I Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out, a collection of true narratives, reflects the dynamism and diversity of nurses who provide the first vital line of patient care. Here, nurses remember their first "sticks", first births, and first deaths and reflect on what gets them though long, demanding shifts and keeps them in the profession.

The stories reveal many voices from nurses at different stages of their careers: One nurse-in-training longs to be trusted with more "important" procedures while another questions her ability to care for nursing home residents. An efficient young emergency room nurse finds his life and career irrevocably changed by a car accident. A nurse practitioner wonders whether she has violated professional boundaries in her care for a homeless man with AIDS. And a home-care case manager is the sole attendee at a funeral for one of her patients.

What connects these stories is the passion and strength of the writers who struggle against burnout and bureaucracy to serve their patients with skill, empathy, and strength.

©2013 Creative Nonfiction Foundation (P)2015 Tantor Essays Medicine & Health Care Industry Nonfiction Career Medicine

Critic reviews

"Beautifully written stories." (Booklist)

"Tavia Gilbert’s narration of these essays written by nurses is beautiful and profound.... Gilbert translates all the emotions, including fear, gallows humor, gratitude, and empathy." (AudioFile)
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I really enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking, funny and inspiring all at once. It's made me think more seriously about pursuing a career in nursing!

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A great book. I love listening to this book.
A must read. Nurses need more applause. That is definitely evident.

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