Think Everything I Ever Wondered About Nursing But Was Afraid To Ask: Presencing for Dummies, with moral commentary by Aesop.

You will laugh and you will cry, but along the way, you will also learn exactly what it’s like to be a nurse. If you’re struggling with this career decision, this book will answer any questions and address any concerns you might have. It is a must for offices of guidance counselors, who have the unenviable task of shepherding their charges to a career meant for them. If you’re just looking to be entertained, these vignettes are also the ideal prescription.

Shared by a 36-year ICU relief charge nurse veteran, lecturer, star healthcare innovator, eye bank technician, and ethics panel member, this collection of true patient encounters is also the perfect stress-relief companion to

From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice, by Patricia Benner. Prentice Hall, Cmv. edition (January 1, 1984); 307 pages; $40.61 (paperback); ISBN-10: 020100299X; ISBN-13: 978-0201002997.

Benner’s book is required reading for many nursing students. Ours is a nursing book primer that students, teachers, and even seasoned healthcare professionals will love for its raw honesty about the profession and its unapologetic discussion about the often overlooked but essential skill of presencing with one’s patients. Unlike Benner’s book, which has been criticized for being dry and difficult to read, readers will not be able to put mine down. While Benner’s reads more like a dissertation, listing concepts which readers must then apply (if they can), application is the vehicle of concept in my book.