The Wisdom of Nurses: Stories of Grit from the Front Lines

by Amie Archibald-Varley, Sara Fung

From the hosts of the hit podcast Gritty Nurses , stories of the challenges, heartbreak and humour of life on the front line One of the enduring lessons of the pandemic has been the pivotal role that nursing plays in health care—vital work that isn’t widely understood or, sadly, appreciated. Sara Fung and Amie Archibald-Varley started the wildly popular Gritty Nurses podcast to give voice to nurses all over the world, including more than 400,000 nurses in Canada. The authors have quickly become sought-after speakers and advocates for nurses and are called on regularly by the media to talk about a wide range of issues around the profession. In their first book, they take you to the front line of nursing to show the compassion, selflessness and dedication of professionals who not only give it all for their patients, but get up and do it over and over again.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Medicine, Audiobook, Medical, Health Care

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2024

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Canadian RN, I wanted SO badly to like this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t. The tone of it just rubbed me the wrong way!

[Terra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly believe everyone should read this book! It’s insightful and inspiring. While highlighting the trials and triumphs of nursing, this book also does not shy away from the necessary critical reflection on the history of nursing and it’s role in colonialism and racism, from both a patient and professional experience. The Ontario nursing experience was also greatly appreciated and eye opening. Loved the layout of this book, and the changes in topic flowed nicely.

Proud daughter and granddaughter of nurses here and have long admired the profession 🥹. Nurses deserve so much.

Side note - loved the ghost stories thrown in there.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! As a fellow healthcare worker, this book hit close to home (especially since it’s written by 2 Toronto nurses). I really enjoyed hearing all the stories - from the humorous ones to the more sentimental ones. I will definitely check out the podcast sometime as well.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this. So many amazing stories, and should be required reading for anyone in healthcare. I’ve already started to pass it around my unit at work and everyone is so excited to read it. I loved the diverse stories of nurses making a difference, and it gave me a way better understanding of what it takes to be a nurse. So so great!

[Maearle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is authentic storytelling from the frontlines of nursing. 37 years of nursing, my stories are the same. It is such an honourable profession, my only hope is that we somehow can get back to having time to do the basic nursing that is so meaningful to both the patients and the nurses.

The only thing that I did not experience in NICU is three hour sleep breaks. We were only permitted 1 hour breaks at a time and if your patient was unstable that often meant no breaks at all.

[Deborah Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow start first quarter. Then very good

[Kathleen]

Enjoyed this book as the stories paint nursing very much as it is in Canada. I'm a retired nurse and it brought back memories and raises issues that anyone who plans to be unhealthy should realize. Chapters on travel nurses experiences were also interesting. Skip the ghost story chapters. It made me doubt the authors claim that she views life from a science base! Luckily they are a small part of the book.

[Katya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[As You Wish · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many good stories, most from Canadian nurses, covering a wide spectrum of the nursing world.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't a bad read until the last chapter which kind of made me made. Perhaps rather than writing hearsay best to experience it. I worked in several hospitals and it wasn't what you girls said that it was. Very disappointed about that garble that was written in the last chapter. That's why you got 2 stars instead of 3 stars.

[Lisa Schmidt]

DNF

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The Wisdom of Nurses by Amie Archibald-Varley and Sara Fung was a collection of stories and essays on a variety of topics related to nursing in North America. I appreciated the balance of memoir style writing by the authors about their own experiences and narrative writing about other nurses' experiences. Many topics were covered, from challenges working with colleagues, to inefficient procedures, to mental health and burnout and much more, the information was both anecdotal and informational giving great insight into the profession that can be enjoyed by people who know the field and also outsiders like me who are just interested in learning more.

I loved that both of the authors were Canadian and could give context from a Canadian perspective, but also that some of the other nurses discussed in the book were American so there was an opportunity to see the similarities and differences between the countries. I also loved that both authors were POC and able to share their perspectives. The fact that both authors also worked in Labour & Delivery and Post-Partum also allowed them to comment on women's reproductive rights which I always find really important and valuable. Finally, I liked the little interludes about famous or little-known but worthy nurses and their contributions to the field. I learned a lot and also really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Harper Collins Canada for giving me the chance to read and review this excellent book!

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are stories of both the authors as nurses in the workplace and also of other nurses present and past that the authors feel have made an impact on the profession. It is a fairly detailed look at what nurses face in there workday lives and the struggles that they have gone through. The tone of the book is sometimes whiny to the extent that I question whether they had chosen the right profession. The book is full of examples of how nurses are not respected or treated unfairly and maybe this is true to a certain degree. However, we all experience this in nearly all professions. There is no need to go on ad nauseam about it. This definitely takes away from the book itself. However, there are some interesting stories among the chapters and I do enjoy reading about behind the scenes of other walks of life.

[Shelley Bridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Major concerns about a chapter near the end. Concerned the lay public may read this book and think it was okay for the nurse to refuse the follow up bloodwork the doc ordered as her son “was afraid of needles”. The bloodwork may have shown elevated muscle related enzymes that potentially could cause kidney injury. Also, she did not take her son for assessment. It was her husband who did this, after researching the internet and being concerned he had
Guillain-Barré syndrome (which she also thought could wait till morning). This syndrome is potentially life threatening. Also, she turned out the light and fell asleep after her husband texted her that the son was diagnosed with myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this 4 stars because the title of the book is a bit inaccurate. Some nurses are judgemental and bullying and they mention this in the book. nurses have never been credited for what they actually do and the reason our health care system in Canada is going down the drain is the the elitism of who is who and what they do. Everyone in a system needs to be credited with what they do and that includes all the people who work in a hospital or nursing home and make it a good atmosphere for the poor people suffering from a form of ill health who are there. Whenever a system becomes top down it fails!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this. I like how they honoured and acknowledge nurses who have made a difference and impact in the nursing industry outside of Florence Nightingale. I like how they shed light onto some of the not so great things Florence Nightingale did and stood for. And I found it validating that I'm not the only one who sees and/or experiences the terrible parts of nursing that aren't really spoken about on a larger scale.

Raising awareness is so important and I'm glad these two individuals have been able to do that with this book. Thank you for your stories and those you've included in this novel.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those I was anticipating for awhile. I follow these nurses on social media. This work in this book was a great reflection of the work they've been doing. I had a great respect for what nurses do before but reading this just took it to a new level. Whether your a nurse or not and you just want to know what nurses do and how complex the work is I highly recommend reading this. At a time where nurses are badly misunderstood this book goes along to clearing those misunderstandings up.

[Peter Greve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit slow and some unexpected emphasis on things like ghost stories didn’t seem to fit, but overall and interesting and provoking read. Nursing is such a broad and diverse line of work, making it difficult to pull out the wisdom from a handful of stories. I was also expecting it to be written more explicitly about historical Nurse’s stories and perspectives, bringing awareness to nurses not named Flo. Unfortunately they were just short one page info sheets on a handful of nurses. It took a while to finally finish this read so there was some discontinuity but altogether an enjoyable read.

[FellowBibliophile KvK · Rating 1 out of 5]

The tragedy of this book is that it has many good points and is honest about the imperfections of nurses.

Unfortunately, they had to glorify the multiple recidivist George Floyd and other habitual skells.

Here is a pro-tip; studies have found that elderly people being able to go out and explore their environment is correlated with a reduced risk of dementia. How are the elderly supposed to do this when skells like Jordan Neely and George Floyd are allowed to rampage unchecked?

[Lệ Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a witty and insightful book about nurses and the healthcare system, particularly in Canada. The book features stories from nurses with various backgrounds who persevered to advance in their careers despite numerous obstacles. It would make a lovely gift for any nurse in your life!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Outstanding work that evolves the image of nurses and nursing beyond outdated perceptions. A highly readable blend of personal stories from nurses, evidence, and a bit of historical info. Would recommend to anyone, since we will all need a nurse one day.

[Moira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened as an audiobook narrated by the authors. I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t exactly deep or beautiful writing and there are some weird bits (ghost stories?) but I appreciated the candidness and dedication of these two nurses and all who contributed stories to the book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a nurse I found some of it relatable and enjoyed that. I could have done without the ghost stories. Instead, I would have preferred more front line stories from the wards and workload issues for the majority of nurses.

[Sarah Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I thought this would be an inspiring book about being a Canadian nurse. It was not. Felt more like a memoir about the two authors. I did enjoy that there was some RPN representation in it. I’m disappointed.

[Alexandra Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest perspective on the lives of nurses. I liked the historical blurbs on nurses other than Florence. Very maternity focused. If you're a nurse in L&D or want to see how many different aspects of nursing there are to explore then it might be worth a read.

[Fernando Naranjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspectives and insight from nurses working in various settings such as obgyn, peds, community, travel nursing, etc

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much variety in stories, many real perspectives. A celebration of nurses and a call to action for improving conditions for patients and staff.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a retired critical care nurse, I was interested in reading nurses' experiences in other areas of health care. The chapters on icu and working night shifts were spot on!

[Maryna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good stories - would have appreciated a) more stories and b) a slightly better flow. But super important to share this wisdom and I'd love to read more!

[Gi V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stories from health Care's front lines, but I could have done without the ghost stories.