6 Greatest and Best Books About Nurses

Nurses are heroes and heroines, people sometimes forget that. Imagine having to deal with the sick and ill for a living, treating their every need, whims and dealing with their many moods (already exhausted just thinking about it) and yet not receive as much respect as the doctor. Maddening.

Learn about nurses by reading these books and start showing some appreciation for the sacrifice they do every day.

#1 When Nurses Hurt Nurses: Overcoming the Cycle of Nurse Bullying

There is a silent oppression occurring in healthcare — nurses biting each other in the back — and When Nurses Hurt Nurses does a terrific job of identifying the problem and what can be done to fix and prevent it. In a time where women should be supporting women, nurses can no longer afford to allow nurses to hurt each other.

This trend contributes to the high turnover rate among nurses and runs up training costs as clinics and hospitals have to keep retraining new nurses rather than retaining the old ones. In the book, Dellasega describes many different scandalous scenarios of nurses hurting nurses that many in the profession can relate to; some are quite disturbing.

However, on the flip side, Dellasega offers a way out of this toxic environment, such as through assessment tools, activities, and conflict management techniques. For example, the book opens up a system for a new nurse to approach her nurse manager. It also provides creative ways for nurse managers to engage in team building.

I would highly recommend this book for student nurses, nurses, managers, CEOs, and anyone who wants to have a higher moral in their workplace.

Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:

• The Book Depository (International)
• Waterstones (International)

Read more reviews and buy the book here (Amazon)

Search for the audiobook here (Audible)

#2 The Rants, Raves and Crazy Days of an ER Nurse by Dani Jacobs

Why so serious? Let’s have some laughter doze. This book delivers all the thrills, spills and chaos of being a nurse; it elaborates the hilarious first-hand experiences of the emergency room.

The emergency room is the busiest areas of the hospital where you see deaths and critical conditions of patients, but apart from a serious perspective, the author has depicted the insanity that he had witnessed during his time in the Emergency room. This book has some unseen, and unshared rants and raves of an Emergency Room nurse that surely makes you laugh.

Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:

• The Book Depository (International)
• Waterstones (International)

Read more reviews and buy the book here (Amazon)

Search for the audiobook here (Audible)

#3 Bed Number Ten by Sue Baier

This book has a story told through the eyes of a patient who has been totally paralyzed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. This story will take you through the physical and psychological pain of an 11-month hospital stay. This book is highly recommended for nursing students and nurse educators. It reminds nurses that patients are first and foremost human beings with feelings, and needs and treating them with dignity is their right.

Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:

• The Book Depository (International)
• Waterstones (International)

Read more reviews and buy the book here (Amazon)

Search for the audiobook here (Audible)

#4 Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between

Theresa Brown is a contributor to the New York Times Well blog. She says about the book that she wrote Critical Care in a rush, and when she was done, felt a sense of relief that at last, all those pressing memories were out of her head. She says that nurses who read this book will inevitably find themselves in it, whether they just started practicing or have been nurses for 30 years.

Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:

• The Book Depository (International)
• Waterstones (International)

Read more reviews and buy the book here (Amazon)

Search for the audiobook here (Audible)

#5 The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

This is a beautiful, multilayered story featuring a nurse, a burn patient, a bomb disarmer and a thief/spy during World War II. Amazing writing!

Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:

• The Book Depository (International)
• Waterstones (International)

Read more reviews and buy the book here (Amazon)

Search for the audiobook here (Audible)

#6 A Nurse’s Story by Tilda Shalof

If you want a picture of what nurses can go through then this is a great read. Written by a former nurse working on in intensive care unit, you will learn about first hand experiences that are summarized neatly by the books cover – ‘Life, Death and In-between’. A great book that shines a light on a side of nursing that often goes unnoticed.

Before buying a book make sure to compare price and outlet, we have included links below to several large book outlets for different regions in the world:

• The Book Depository (International)
• Waterstones (International)

Read more reviews and buy the book here (Amazon)

Search for the audiobook here (Audible)