The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives

Lab tech who also chose nursing as a second career. Was reminded how intensely responsible we are for some of our patient outcomes. What I think she left out was how exhausting this is - even in the moment. And I also rode my bike to work, then swam a mile after work. It helped but some days were just ….

Knowing nothing about the nursing profession, this well written book has opened my eyes to the complex and exhausting life behind the scenes of a nurse. I only hope if I do need hospitalization I get a nurse like Ms. Brown.

The Shift is a wonderful book. I am reviewing it from the perspective of both a reader as well as a hospital-based physician.The Shift is the most accurate depiction of a floor nurse's daily existence that I have ever read. It vividly describes the hectic and often chaotic demands that are placed on the people that actually take care for us when we get sick. The profession has always been demanding, both in terms of the amount of work involved as well as the responsibilities nurses shoulder, and that current runs through the narrative. The book reads fast, much as the typical shift an RN experiences runs fast - there is little time for idle gossip or relaxation. I found the read compelling, and I continually marveled at how accurately Ms/Dr (the author is a PhD in English, and it shows in the writing) Brown depicts and translates for a reader the care she and others provide, from the medical language that is used to the technology that must be mastered. I read the entire book in 2 days. Surprisingly, I found myself kind of exhausted at the end, much like most nurses are at the end of their shift, many having been too busy to even stop and have lunch and often staying 30 minutes after their shift has ended (all unpaid, of course), "giving report."Likening a nurse's work to the bicycle she rides to and from work, the author states, "Nurses are a hospitals mechanics, it's sockets and gears." Oh, but they are so much more than that, and it is to Ms. Brown's credit that she avoids glorifying all they do in the hospital. She merely describes a typical day, and the actions speak for themselves. Those actions reveal what any good doctor will tell you - nurses are the unsung heroes of the hospital. The are the glue that holds it together with a combination of skill and compassion. They are the heart and soul of those institutions, in that they focus on the humanity of the patients they care for. The ability to do that is harder and harder in todays world of mandated computerized record keeping, a fact that is well demonstrated during Ms. Brown's day. Nurse's are often a catalyst for improved care, as demonstrated when the author gently asks a physician if he will stay late and operate in the middle of the night rather that take the easy way out and wait until morning. Nurses are cheerleaders for their patients, encouraging them when they face the terrifying unknown, such as whether or not a bone marrow transplant will take. They are the early warning system, the front line monitors for when patients take a turn for the worse. Almost all nurses are perfectionists, and Ms. Brown details that repeatedly during her shift. Finally, and most important, nurses are compassionate. The author describes one particularly difficult patient, Candace, who stands out in the book. Every practitioner - from nurse's aides (a sadly vanishing breed due to hospitals' relentless drive for profits), to transporters, to technicians, to doctors - will easily recognize her. What is not so easy is to recognize the pain within argumentative and frankly unpleasant patients like Candace. Nurses are far more likely to do so than are anyone else in the hospital. It is why, for many, nursing is a "calling" more than it is a job. When nurses say they "love their patients," they really mean it - they find a way to express empathy for everyone who comes through the door. I found how Ms. Brown demonstrates her empathy for Candace in The Shift a particular strength of the narrative.I love this book as a read that pays tribute to what are all too often the unrecognized heroes of hospital care. We have seen people applauding nurses and other health care providers walking out from a 12-hour shift after taking care of Covid-19 patients. The Shift gives you a glimpse of what they have been doing. Nurses do it because, as Ms. Brown simply states, "It's what we do." Oh, but they do so much more!

This book delivered exactly what the title promises: a minute-by-minute description of a the 12-hour shift of a nurse in an oncology ward of a large city hospital. The author is both a good writer and a compassionate, conscientious RN who adeptly conveys the challenges, and rewards, of her profession. I was very interested in how the nurses balance the constant competing demands of treating patients, dealing with doctors, charting everything they do, and periodically stepping off the crazy treadmill to provide much-needed doses of empathy and compassion. I know, from my own experience, that the nurses are the glue that holds the whole insane American medical system together but this book deepened my appreciation. The book is a quick read (I read it in a day) but I think it will make anyone who shadows Theresa Brown, RN for a day a better-informed patient. I also highly recommend this book to the men and women in the long white coats who care about the perspective of their essential colleagues.

It’s kinda all over the place… Similar to how a nurse’s brain works I guess lol. It low key gave me anxiety reading this… Had to read it for a book report… It’s fine but I wouldn’t read again

If you are a nurse you will appreciate Ms. Brown's book. A realistic look at a 12 hour nursing shift, hers in an oncology ward, but with a few simple changes could be on any ward. Truthful in its reality (no bathroom break I noticed....not unusual where I work! ) a 30 min lunch break in 12 hours? Ha! Maybe every other day! I not only loved her honest approach to telling it like it is within the world of nursing, (all those damned interruptions when you are trying to give out meds!) but she's not afraid to show her compassionate side too, following up on transferred or dischatged patients. If you want to be a nurse, are a nurse, or just want to see how a nurse's day REALLY looks like, then I highly recommend this read. If you already belong to the sisterhood, reading this book will let you will rest assured knowing someone else has crazy work days too. If you've never walked a mile in nursing shoes, this book will let you try on a pair for size to see if nursing is a good fit. Ms. Brown surely proves that technology, brains and compassion DO belong together, and she has them all.

I enjoyed the book. It was very detailed and told the story of the nurses interaction with several patients. I was impressed with her diligence on her shifts. She also cared for her patients feelings as well as their health. Anyone who enjoys stories about the medical field will enjoy this.

An eye opener - not a minute is spare in this nurses day. Grateful

An easy read but full of insight into life as a nurse. The demands and stresses we place on those who we should value. Why is it that we demand so much of nurses and yet not reward them adequately for their hard and tireless work?

Interesting from a medical point of view

Feels grubby. Lots of underlining. Buy new