Tending Lives: Nurses on the Medical Front [NOOK Book]

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Overview

A critical-care nurse in coronary and emergency medicine for eighteen years, Echo Heron has seen and heard it all. Here she recounts narratives of real-life medical dramas experienced by nurses across the country, sharing with us the inspiring, the tragic, and the outrageously funny: a penitentiary nurse who wasresponsible for orchestrating a murderer's execution; a stroke victim who rose out of his depression when his nurses began telling him jokes; and, perhaps the most riveting testimony, moment-by-moment memories of several nurses who served in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Filled with both tears and laughter and charged with the issues that afflict nursing care today, ...

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Overview

A critical-care nurse in coronary and emergency medicine for eighteen years, Echo Heron has seen and heard it all. Here she recounts narratives of real-life medical dramas experienced by nurses across the country, sharing with us the inspiring, the tragic, and the outrageously funny: a penitentiary nurse who wasresponsible for orchestrating a murderer's execution; a stroke victim who rose out of his depression when his nurses began telling him jokes; and, perhaps the most riveting testimony, moment-by-moment memories of several nurses who served in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Filled with both tears and laughter and charged with the issues that afflict nursing care today, TENDING LIVES is a gripping, moving, inspiring book, a fitting tribute to a noble profession.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Heron, a California nurse who has written previously about her professional experiences (Intensive Care: The Story of a Nurse) collects oral histories drawn from interviews she taped with nurses who represent many aspects of the field. The majority of the deeply involving selections emphasize the strong commitment to caring that characterizes these health professionals and their struggle to dissociate enough from their patients' sufferings so that they can be effective. Many of the nurses, such as Margie O.'s description of geriatric nursing and Diane C.'s account of caring for an abused baby, express extraordinary compassion. A highlight is the chapter of interviews with nurses who treated victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. One unusual contribution, by Calista H., details the assistance he provided at an execution in which a lethal injection was administered. Author tour. (June)
From The Critics
Heron's earlier books, Intensive Care: The Story of a Nurse (Ivy, 1988) and Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues (LJ 3/1/94), were personal narratives reflecting the author's experiences as a nurse and her views on hospitals and the industry that is healthcare today. Her latest volume invites colleagues to share their stories. Some are heartbreaking, others hilarious (if you think you've had a bad day, read Carol P.'s story of her encounters with Delbert and Mr. X). A brief introduction to each contributor provides background about age, education, and specialty (trauma, pediatrics, etc.). Vignettes may be as short as two pages. On the other hand, in the book's longest chapter five nurses laboring behind the scenes through the tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing bring the confusion, sadness, and professional grit vividly to life. Unless you can handle an emotional roller coaster, savor this book one chapter at a time. Either way, it is a welcome addition to nursing or larger health collections.Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp. Lib., NY

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780307560537
  • Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
  • Publication date: 2/4/2009
  • Sold by: Random House
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 416
  • Sales rank: 94,407
  • File size: 2 MB
  • Items ship to U.S, APO/FPO and U.S. Protectorate addresses.

Meet the Author

Echo Heron is the author of the bestselling Intensive Care: The Story of a Nurse; Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues; and the medical thrillers Pulse, Panic, and Paradox. She was a critical-care nurse in the San Francisco Bay Area for eighteen years and is a spokesperson for nurses and patients' rights. Ms. Heron and her cat, Mooshie, currently reside in California.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating 5
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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 22, 2010

    Best Compilation of Nursing Stories Ever!

    Nurses from many different specialties share their experiences through Echo Heron's impressive ability to portray emotion through words. I laughed, I cried, and I developed a sense of pride in being a nurse thanks to the stories of pure heroism in this book. I've read my copy to tatters, and I've bought many more copies for colleagues and new nurses I've mentored. You can't go wrong with this book.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 18, 2008

    A must read!!

    Tending Lives is an outstanding read. It is an emotional roller coaster full of passion from nurses in different fields. I myself am pursuing a career in the health profession, and this book motivated me even more to pursue my goals. Heron¿s writing keeps the reader on their toes at every moment, and she tugs at the reader¿s heart strings. I would recommend this book to nurses and future nurses. However, I think the everyday reader would enjoy this book as well. As a reader, I could feel the passion that Heron felt while writing this book. Through her descriptive writing, it is easy to see that nursing is way more than just a profession ¿it is a calling¿.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 15, 2003

    Great read for present and future nurses

    Love this book! I have bought many copies to give as gifts for graduating nurses and cant help but read it over and over again. The stories alternate between sad and hysterical- but they are all just great. Treat yourself, you wont be disappointed.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 24, 2000

    ECHO HERON WRITES A GREAT BOOK AGAIN

    I bought this book because I have read many of her other books, that I also very much enjoyed. This book I loved so much! It is filled with so many emotional stories. I cried about 90% of the time. Being an EMT myself I could relate. It was wonderful and I highly suggest this book in the medical field, anyone wanting to be in the medical field, or anyone that just enjoys a great, heartfelt story or should I say stories. Read this book. You will not regret it.

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