The Courage to Care

The Courage To Care
Christie Watson

This book gives a truthful insight into the compassionate work of modern nurses in all specialist areas of the NHS for example midwifery, prison, mental health and community. It does not portray nurses as ‘angels’ but professional people with the ability to give care with compassion and respect maintaining the clients dignity and understanding of the impact their family, culture, social standing and personal history has on their care.
I am a retired nurse and found Christie’s description of nurses work in different areas of care fascinating. The way she described the skills, expertise and knowledge used in different situations was very clever. Each area had its own challenges and skill mixes needed to provide care to a high standard. Bringing in how nurses personal experiences on or off duty was appropriate and insightful to the understanding of the modern nurses role.
I did grit my teeth a few times when I felt Christie described the military nurses as more professional than general trained nurses but she is right to be proud of her training as a military nurse.
This book really showed the compassion, knowledge, expertise and experience needed to be a modern nurse. Nurses are no longer the Angels or doctors assistants but professionals making changes to improve all care required by people. It also cleverly recognizes that being human their own experiences with family and home has an effect on their care and understanding.

The nursing stories were wonderful. They were full of compassion and care and gave a real insight into the work that the NHS nurses do on a daily basis. Had this book just focussed on these, devoting a chapter to each, my rating would have been a lot higher. Unfortunately, the book became very muddled because it tried to tell the personal story of the nurse alongside the case studies. As the chronology seemed to be somewhat random, this just caused confusion. At the heart of the book are some very worthwhile stories and some severe editing would turn it into a little gem.

I read this book through my Book Club.

Good read. Life and death through a nurse’s eyes. Based on true stories. Full of warmth, compassion and kindness. Beautifully written.

A wonderful read which was so inspiring. I’m sure many of us do not realise what an amazing job our fantastic NHS does for us all under the difficult circumstances they have to deal with. How lucky are we to have this service.

A moving account of medical memories. Whilst the individual stories are both heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking, I found the book as a whole quite disjointed and struggled to finish it as a result.

Us non-healthcare givers, we see nurses as those professionals who are taking care of us. They are starched uniforms, calm thinkers and there when we need them. We don't think of them as people who are confused or demoralized at times as we are. This book by Christie Watson allows us to enter their world on a more intimate basis. Through a series of patient stories we see vividly the myriad of cases that a nurse handles. They have to be facile and able to change their thought process quickly as they care for patients with totally differing illnesses and needs. We also see the hopes, fears and dreams of people who know all too well the possibilities of what can happen, might happen or has happened in their lives. We get a glimpse into what it takes to be one of the most courageous people on earth -- a Nurse.

Christie is a nursing professional and has many years’ experience in the sector. In this book she writes specifically about the role nurses play in the community, citing many cases where their care and dedication has made an enormous difference to the lives of the patients. Interspersed with this narrative are snippets about Christie’s own experiences as she tries to juggle a busy job with her own personal family life.

This is a heartfelt, tender and compassionate book. It introduces us to some of the most caring people you will ever meet, most of whom deserve medals for the work that they do, and the grace and empathy with which they do it. We also hear the stories of their patients, many of whom are facing some of the most challenging situations it is possible to imagine. “There but for the grace of God…” was uppermost in my mind on many occasions. I had not realised the extent of the tasks, duties and “added extras” that nurses perform on a daily basis, not least of which are the things that are not a formal part of their training but just an extension of their caring personalities coming to the fore when necessary to produce a creative solution to a problem or provide some much needed comfort to both patients and families alike. The stories are all fascinating and I had a tear in my eye on occasions.

The downside of this book is that it is a little confusing to read as it jumps around randomly between timeframes. It felt a bit muddled at times as I tried to reorient myself at the start of each section.

Recommended for anyone who would like to spend a few hours immersed in the lives of some wonderful people. A heartwarming book that is easy to read.

Read this as part of Appleton Staff readers. the compassion of care staff sings from every page of this book. A lovely account of everyday lives of those who care.