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BOOK REVIEWS
Reviewed by Eleanor Sullivan, RN, PhD, FAAN “I enjoy being backed into a corner in situations where I have to fight my way out,” says nurse leader Gretta Styles in A Daybook for Nurse Leaders and Mentors. Her observation is just one of the many insightful challenges to nurses contained in this small tome. Daily quotations bring home the very real world problems that nurses face in their quest to become leaders and mentors. Each calendar day offers a brief quote from nurses and others around the world that teaches, motivates and cheers nurses on in their quest to refine their practice, enhance their influence and build a better world for their patients, their profession and themselves. (In the interest of full disclosure, several of my own quotes, based on my book Becoming Influential: A Guide for Nurses, are included.) Unlike calendar books that expire at the end of a year, the Daybook includes only the month and day, allowing the reader to use this calendar and benefit from the wisdom it contains for more than one year. Each day’s succinct message offers a quick and inspiring read, perfect considering the busy lives of nurses. In addition, space is provided to add personal journal entries and other notes. At those times when a nurse just wants to make it through the day, the inspirational nuggets contained in the Daybook will challenge that nurse to look ahead, to envision a future for him- or herself as well as the profession. The book offers nurses opportunities to learn, face challenges and gain confidence in their abilities as leaders. A Daybook for Nurse Leaders and Mentors would make a great gift! Eleanor Sullivan, RN, PhD, FAAN, is the former dean of nursing at the University of Kansas and past president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. The author of numerous books on nursing, Sullivan now pens a mystery series, published by Hilliard & Harris, that features nurse sleuth Monika Everhardt. The third book in the series, Assumed Dead, was recently released and is available from your favorite bookstore. Visit Eleanor at www.EleanorSullivan.com. by Alan Briskin, PhD, and Jan Boller, RN, PhD Reviewed by Jean Watson, RN, PhD, AHN-bc, FAAN “How does compassionate human caring show up in the demanding and often chaotic experience of our day-to-day life and work?” That is the question that began the odyssey of sharing stories, dialogue, personal insights and group exploration that became a new book called Daily Miracles: Stories and Practices of Humanity and Excellence in Health Care. Sutter Solano Medical Center in Northern California invested in its nurses—charge nurses, staff nurses, supervisors, advanced practice nurses and managers—for 23 consultant-led sessions over two years with the goal of answering that question. At only 84 pages, this book might be mistakenly dismissed as fluff, as simply decoration to be displayed. Don’t make that mistake! This amazing little book, which contains beautiful photographs by Alan Briskin, tastefully complemented by visually appealing typography, carries within it secret stories of miracles—the inside beauty of nursing and the inner life of caring. Briskin, who authored Bringing Your Soul to Work, and Jan Boller, an expert in clinical nursing, have extended their earlier work into this visual and poetic experiential domain to remind us of those daily miracles that are often hidden behind the scenes. The book is organized around sections titled “What is Excellent Care?” “Daily Miracles,” “Guiding Principles,” “More Daily Miracles,” and “Philosophy of Care.” The “Daily Miracles” and “More Daily Miracles” sections contain stories, none longer than four pages, that portray acts of caring and the conscious decisions behind them, including whether to care or not to care. With clinical agencies increasingly guided by human caring-theories that serve as foundations for professional practice models, this gem of a book is a perfect companion. For example, within the theory of human caring, the original 10th “carative factor” has evolved from “existential-phenomenological-spiritual dimensions” to “allowing for a miracle.” This collected work connects the theory of human caring to actual stories of miracles in daily life, reinforcing the notion that miracles are returning to our work and world. It is an inspirational tool for staff members at all levels. Every health-care team member should be made aware of the information contained in the sections titled “Guiding Principles” and “Philosophy of Care.” Daily, they need to be reminded of the power of caring—caring that is demonstrated in a myriad of ways, including the simple act of making eye contact, of slowing down, of noticing those things that make a person who that person is. This book is a gift of love, light and beauty in what may otherwise be institutional darkness. Daily Miracles makes any theory of human caring come to life. What a gift of grace and mercy to nurses and others who experience daily miracles of humanity. Jean Watson, RN, PhD, AHN-bc, FAAN, is distinguished professor of nursing, Murchison-Scoville Endowed Chair in Caring Science, at the University of Colorado Denver and Health Sciences Center. RNL |
