Top 10 Books to Help Nurses Unlock their Passion

1. I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse by Lee Gutkind

This book is perfect for any nurse at any stage as many share their stories of births, deaths, funerals, and much more. Anyone will be able to relate to the resilience and love of each nurse as they give their inspirations through long-demanding shifts, burnout, and bureaucracy. Readers follow the story of a nurse in training who works in a nursing home while struggling to maintain her to call to care for her residents and desire for more responsibility. Another young nurse has his life forever changed following a car accident. And a nurse practitioner questions her ethics when caring for a homeless man with AIDS. Through each nurse’s journey, the reader finds their empathy, courage, and passion.

2. Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

You don't have to be a nurse to appreciate this bestselling international story of Dan Millman, a world athlete who takes a journey into all realms of life. Readers fall in love with Dan as he learns to balance the mental, physical, and spiritual worlds; as well as, romance, magic, light, and darkness. As Dan goes further and further into his journey to face his last encounter of deliverance or defeat, he's led by a seasoned warrior named Socrates and intrigued by a mysterious and whimsical woman named Joy. Way of the Peaceful Warrior is an account of a universal quest for happiness and all the laughs and tears that come with such a crusade.

3. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses: 101 Stories of Appreciation and Wisdom by Amy Newmark

Long days and hectic shifts are the reality for many nurses each day. Though the work is demanding, many still feel called into the gratifying profession of nursing. In this collection of 101 personal stories, every nurse will be reminded of why they were first motivated to become a nurse and of the positive influence they have on those that care for. Nurses everywhere share adventures and advice that welcomes readers to find a deeper passion for the service they deliver to patients and families.

4. Bedlam Among the Bedpans: Humor in Nursing by Amy Y. Young

A top 10 read for anyone looking to find light humor in their daily trials of nursing. This collection features some of the most creative and well-written pieces published over the last couple decades; in addition to, humorous cartoons and stories that will place every day travails into a comedic perspective. With over 100 funny stories compiled from journals, books, and the internet of real accounts from the field. Readers will laugh away their stress through accounts that only nurses and the like can appreciate and ultimately, rediscover their inspiration for nursing.

5. Inspired Nurse by Rich Bluni

If you were to reflect on your first day and initial inspiration for becoming a nurse, you probably thought, "I'm so happy to have a job that benefits the world." You were right. Few other callings bear the same potential and capacity to effect lives at such a significant level, physically as well as candidly and profoundly. However, the qualities that make nursing genuinely recompensing can likewise over time make it hard to maintain your vitality and energy. Inspired Nurse sheds light to the fleeting qualities that once attracted us to the profession. In this innovative workbook, author, and registered nurse, Rich Blunt creates a mental and spiritual space for medical workers to reflect on the origin of their calling. Blunt incorporates action-oriented "spiritual stretches" to combine the pleasure, admiration, appreciation, understanding and pain of nursing - into every aspect of our lives. Rich Blunt's personal narratives are relatable and validate the importance of remaining dedicated and providing superior patient care. The Inspired Nurse is a testament to the difference humanity can make in health care.

6. Becoming Nursey: From Code Blues to Code Browns, How to Care for Your Patients and Yourself by Kati L. Kleber

Nursing isn’t a job, but a way of life. Maintaining a work-life balance that embraces pleasant bedside manners and a sound mind when at home is no easy feat. Kleber describes the reality of nursing and how you can keep your identity while still providing superb patient care. Written with humor and mischief, Becoming Nursery, provides nurses and aspiring nurses with practical strategies on becoming the most caring, efficient, and competent nurse possible. Derived from the popular blog, Nurse Eye Roll, this ebook helps any new graduate understand the real world of nursing. Through bedside tales and general advice, Becoming Nursery is an excellent resource for recent graduates who may be anxious about their new career or students experiencing a moment of frustration and doubt.

7. The Healer's War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

A fictional tale inspired by the personal involvements of Elizabeth Ann Scarborough as a nurse in Da Nang. The story follows Lt. Kitty McCulley, an innocent and sheltered nurse who struggles to cope with the stressful demands of the Vietnam War, racism, and the horrific state of bodies, both soldiers and Vietnamese civilian during her service as a war nurse at the China Beach medical facilities. McCulley’s journey takes a mystical twist when she receives an amulet from one of her dying patients, an elderly Vietnamese holy man. The charm allows McCulley to see people’s auras and gain a greater sense of compassion. She soon finds herself on an unexpected adventures, as she struggles to discover her identity in the midst of the chaos.

8. Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox

Meet a new side of Michael J. Fox, the Optimist. Michael describes how he transformed his challenges into an opportunity to see the world differently. Through his bout with Parkinson’s disease, he began to strengthen his mental, rational, passion, and spiritual, while interacting and learning about others. In the wake of his departure from the big screen, Michael found inspiration in the most surprising places and people. “The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD Parkinson's had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one.” With Michael’s usual comedic flare, Always Looking Up is an account of his reunion with himself through his work, loved ones, a solid belief system, and personal governance that allowed him to fully take on Parkinson’s.

9. The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives by Theresa Brown

New York columnist and practicing nurse, Theresa Brown take readers on a trip into a hospital cancer ward on one particular day and on one particular shift. In just 12 hours death is an endless possibility, hope is renewed, people are changed, and dreams are lost forever. Readers have front row seats into the experiences of real characters each whose life will never be the same by the end of the shift. Theresa Brown skillfully cares for four patients on this day, including Mr. Hampton who’s receiving either a lifesaving or sentencing treatment; Candace, an usual who is a bit of a hypochondriac and very high maintenance; Dorothy, who is going home after 6 weeks in the hospital, and Sheila the patient who may have been treacherously misdiagnosed. At the intersection of talent, humor, and empathy, Brown becomes the face of nurses everywhere that are devoted supporters in a medical system consistently caught between painful realities and everyday miracles.

10. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

It’s common for professors to imagine their final speech and the knowledge they will share with the world during their closing word. Unfortunately Randy Pausch didn’t have to imagine much when he gave his last lecture after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Nonetheless, Pausch’s speech, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” spoke of life and possibility. He described the impact each person can make when they face their challenges, take opportunities, and support others to achieve as well (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). A true depiction to the meaning of living. In his book, Randy expands on his lecture with his normal intellect and wit.