The Shift

One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives

By: Theresa Brown RN

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

In a book as eye-opening as it is riveting, practicing nurse and New York Times columnist Theresa Brown invites us to experience not just a day in the life of a nurse but all the life that happens in just one day in a hospital's cancer ward. In the span of 12 hours, lives can be lost, life-altering medical treatment decisions made, and dreams fulfilled or irrevocably stolen. In Brown's skilled hands - as both a dedicated nurse and an insightful chronicler of events - we are given an unprecedented view into the individual struggles as well as the larger truths about medicine in this country. By shift's end we have witnessed something profound about hope, healing, and humanity.

Every day Theresa Brown holds patients' lives in her hands. On this day there are four: Mr. Hampton, a patient with lymphoma to whom Brown is charged with administering a powerful drug that could cure him - or kill him; Sheila, who may have been dangerously misdiagnosed; Candace, a returning patient who arrives (perhaps advisedly) with her own disinfectant wipes, cleansing rituals, and demands; and Dorothy, who, after six weeks in the hospital, may finally go home. Prioritizing and ministering to their needs takes the kind of skill, sensitivity, and, yes, humor that enable a nurse to be a patient's most ardent advocate in a medical system marked by heartbreaking dysfunction as well as miraculous success.

©2015 Theresa Brown (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Enlightening

I have spend many days in hospitals, and it was enlightening to see what a typical day of a nurse looks like. I always make a point of doing as much as possible myself. Not to make life easier for the nurses, but from a sense of pride. From now on it will also be to lighten the burden of the nurses. I enjoyed reading this book and learned to see my hospital stays also from another perspective.

An intimate look into the daily life of a nurse

Theresa Brown shares a typical 12 hour shift for an inpatient oncology nurse in a large hospital. She is compassionate and honest as she recounts the highs and lows of patient care, including the frustrations of long hours and short staffing, the heavy workloads and concerns for time constraints when trying to tend to the needs of her patients. She knows the great responsibility she is shouldering. She never sounds whiny or preachy, and the true desire to provide the best care possible is apparent throughout. Having worked in the medical field for a number of years in the past made me even more attuned to the deep level of love she has for those in her care. This doesn't mean that you have to be in the medical field to appreciate this book. I would recommend it for anyone who has curiosity about what goes on behind those hospital doors.

True in every way!!!

Very well written and a great portrayal of what nurses go through each day as tbey care for their patients. As a nurse for 26 years, I could completely relate to everything Theresa shares in this book. Thank you Theresa for writing this book and sharing just a glimpse of the struggles and occasional joys of being a nurse.

I Am Thankful for Nurses

I am not a nurse. But I have been a surgical patient several times over the last few years. Things had changed a lot since my previous two surgeries, which occurred in the 1970's. One thing that hadn't changed was the excellent care I got from the nurses. I purchased this book because I wanted to learn more about a nurses point of view.

This book gave me what I was looking for. The author takes the reader through one shift, detailing the stories of four patients. She also shares her own actions and feelings. I was involved in the story and found it hard to stop listening.

The narration by Tavia Gilbert was excellent.

good listen

I really enjoyed the author's perspective and her story telling skill. Her empathy comes through loud and clear, her thoughtfulness, her scrupulous attention to detail.

I had to stop it halfway through

This book is very good. Very vivid. Written well. I had to stop because of my own fears. Some parts describe a mother's worst nightmare coming true and it was just too much for me. Very upsetting. If you are a tough person then this book is outstanding. I have a ways to go. I'm not that hardened yet.

Honest and Sincere

While I have never been an RN, I have worked in different aspects of the healthcare system in the U.S. and have been married to a man that has often been very sick. From my observations, this book is an open and candid look at the system we have today, why it is so hard to be a nurse and why the burnout rate is so incredibly high. Our nurses have had to become both health care professionals and administrators at the same time and the duality of these roles is time consuming and difficult causing fatigue beyond description. Thank you Teresa Brown for the courage to be honest about why this career choice is so important and difficult at the same time!

Exquisitetly written..

The Ever so gentle writing style of care in a Nurses shift brought memories of childhood care by mom.. yet also found myself in ecstasy of laughter in the witty and clever gems between doctors and nurses amidst chaos of an hospital.. Was beautifully read and made the long drive but a breeze.. Why did I find it funny "patient refused " a reason the RN wrote for wasted morphing down the drain of a deceased patient? It's possible im in the wrong profession.. A book that brings you to that conclusion is worth a listen too..

Health care as literature

I will begin this review by noting that this book is a work of nonfiction that reads like exceptional literature. It is not surprising to learn that Ms. Brown has a PhD in literature in addition to an RN degree.

I loved - no, more than loved - this book. It is an amazing account of one nurse's (the author) 12 hour shift on a hospital oncology unit. The book is beautiful in her compassion, candid in the nature of nursing, breathtaking in intensity, and not - contrary to what one might expect - filled with medical gore. I was so wrapped up in these 12 hours and how the author presents them, that the treatment aspect was interesting, informative and sometimes very sad.

This is a magnificent read. If one is at all interested in health care, its successes, challenges, failures and sheer unadulterated milk-of-human-kindness present as nurses "push the rock of healthcare up the hill," this is a must read work of staggering beauty, hope, determination, coping strategies and so much more.

The Shift is on my top 10 list of books that transcend description. One simply has to make the journey with Ms. Brown while she shows readers that there are remarkable professionals in hospitals who live for the good they do for their patients.

Excellent...but oh so hard to read!

As a nurse for 53 years and a teacher & dean of nursing for nearly the same, I found this book to be incredibly accurate in describing what nurse actually do, think & feel while caring for others. It is a terrifically difficult job and yet very fulfilling too. If you are doing it right (in my humble opinion) it must be a calling app& never just a means to a paycheck! Theresa Brown portrays nursing realistically and well. Her role as a hematology/oncology nurse is one of the most challenging areas of nursing that there is. Kudos to her for telling this story!