Use eBooks and online content from the library to learn about the profession and the people who form a backbone of our healthcare system.
By Katherine Einspahr, Burke Centre Library Information Assistant
When we hear of people fighting on the front lines, we may not always think of medical professionals — nurses in particular. However, during the current pandemic crisis, nurses are at the leading edge of the battle against COVID-19. They bravely put themselves in harm’s way to care for those who have been infected and make sacrifices to protect the safety of their families, friends and community members.
Earlier this month the annual National Nurses Week celebration took place from May 6 through May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday. Since this year marks the 200th anniversary of Nightingale’s birth, the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife.” Additionally, the ANA extended National Nurses Week “to a month-long celebration in May to expand opportunities to elevate and celebrate nursing."
While nurses are always deserving of our gratitude, support and understanding, now is an especially important and appropriate time to express our appreciation to those who have made a difference in our lives. Learn more about nurses and nursing with the eBooks and online resources below, available free to cardholders through Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) — you may be moved to thank a superhero in scrubs who has touched your life or perhaps even inspired you to enter the challenging yet rewarding profession of nursing.
1. The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama, and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital
Author Alexandra Robbins describes a dramatic year in the life of four nurses. These uncelebrated superheroes develop strong bonds as they save lives amidst a world of controlled chaos throughout this sometimes surprising window into medical care.
2. People Who Keep Me Healthy
Author Janet Preus reassures preschoolers that nurses and other medical practitioners want to take care of them when they are sick, to help them get better and stay healthy. A lively song and colorful illustrations help to take some of the fear out of visiting these professionals.
3. The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives
This book follows author Theresa Brown through one fast-paced workday in a city’s teaching hospital. During this shift, we meet four patients, whose lives Brown holds in her hands. Publishers Weekly’s starred review states, “Her memoir is a must-read for nurses or anyone close to one.”
4. Shortage of Nurses (Gale)
Samuel D. Uretsky explores the history behind the current shortage of professional nurses. Although nursing is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States, it is a challenge to replace nurses who retire, and virtually impossible to keep up with the expanding role of nursing and an aging population. This scholarly article shares the steps being taken to remedy this situation.
5. Thanks for the Support, but I Don’t Want Your Clapping (ProQuest)
British nurse Jennifer Darlow explains her seemingly negative response to the applause being given to health care workers during COVID-19. She states, “...to me, the clapping is bittersweet.” She clarifies that for years prior to this global pandemic, nurses worked despite staff shortages, long hours and low pay, so a major investment in our healthcare system is long overdue.
6. Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (Medline via Gale)
From the United States Department of Labor, this resource provides information about the basic medical care that licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses offer in varied settings, ranging from institutions to patients’ homes. It details how you may join one facet of the nursing profession and helps you to appreciate those working in it.