Touched by a Nurse: Special Moments That Transform Lives

Touched by a Nurse is a collection of 126 vignettes written by practicing nurses throughout the world. In spite of the fact that most of the nurses have no experience in writing (or perhaps because of this fact), their stories come through clean, strong and memorable. The nurse co-editors envision this volume providing support to practicing nurses, underlying their often unrecognized intangible contributions. With fewer and fewer students entering the field of nursing, the editors aspire to enhance the view of nursing as a profession. As one reads the vignettes, the honesty and humility of the nurse storytellers shines through. One gains a new respect for the profession of nursing as nurses accurately and sincerely tell of mistakes, prejudices, and personal failings, and how they have learned from them. Nurses relate of being refilled spiritually by their patients, recognizing the gift they have received, then passing this unseen healing force along to patients to come. Several of the vignettes are humorous, as in one nurse who was robbed at gunpoint of her patient. A practical sort, not one to argue with a gun, she helped the robber wheel the patient out of the recovery room on a stretcher, then calmly called the front door security guard who retrieved her patient and brought him back. Another theme that emerges from the seemingly unrelated vignettes is the feeling of responsibility for the health of those with who the nurse comes in contact. This sense of responsibility extends not only to the family members of their patients, but to coworkers and neighbors. Clearly a nurse's job does not end when the shift ends. One is struck by how touched the nurses are by their patients. Story after story describes the nurse's joy at receiving a small remembrance from a special patient - a post card, an eclair, a letter. That nurses would recount such a token of appreciation fifteen to twenty years after the fact speaks to the fact that nurses treat their profession as a higher calling, but one undertaken by very human individuals. One thing is certain, after reading this book, everyone will feel very secure in trusting their lives to a nurse.

I have read many medical books but none have come close to the admiration and inspiration I felt while reading, "Touched by a nurse." I highly recommend this book for anyone in the healthcare field. It will inspire all readers with the honor of knowing that human to human caring is alive and well. (We call this caring the glorious profession of nursing!) I anxiously await the second edition!

This book contains compassionate and moving stories about the incredible impact nurses have on the care and lives of their patients. Often nurses feel overlooked and unvalued. This book teaches us to appreciate all the good that nurses do though it may go unseen. It lifts them up and validates how profoundly they touch our lives. It is clear that this book is a "must read" for everyone.

Kane and Warner have given us all an opportunity to share intimate moments with our patients. They have asked us to share stories that have shaped our nursing careers and speak to the very positive changes experienced by patients and families as a result of expert, professional nursing care. As one reads through the various vignettes, it becomes readily apparent how instrumental nurses are in maintaining and shaping today's healthcare system. This book is a gem for nurses and those who have been recipients of their compassionate care.