Life Support: Three Nurses on the Front Lines

by Suzanne Gordon

"A beautiful, profound, and profoundly important book.... Gordon's message is simplicity itself: sick people need skilled, humane, and insightful care that keeps their interests paramount. Registered nurses have historically provided that care, but now their ability to fulfill their crucial role faces the greatest jeopardy in the history of the profession.... Life Support belongs in the august company of Silent Spring, The Other America, The Feminine Mystique, and other pivotal works with the power to shape the nation's consciousness."―Washington Post "In this enlightening, involving, in-depth book, Gordon interweaves the history and philosophy of nursing with on-the-job observations of three nurses at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. Gordon lets the nurses speak for themselves, effectively illustrating their commitment to their profession and involving readers in real-life dramas."―Publishers Weekly "For patients, physicians, nurses, and health policy analysts, Gordon's passionate and accessible account of the impact of managed care on skilled nursing provides clear grounds for concern."―Health Affairs In this book, Suzanne Gordon describes the everyday work of three RNs in Boston―a nurse practitioner, an oncology nurse, and a clinical nurse specialist on a medical unit. At a time when nursing is often undervalued and nurses themselves in short supply, Life Support provides a vivid, engaging, and intimate portrait of health care's largest profession and the important role it plays in patients' lives. Life Support is essential reading for working nurses, nursing students, and anyone considering a career in nursing as well as for physicians and health policy makers seeking a better understanding of what nurses do and why we need them. For the Cornell edition of this landmark work, Gordon has written a new introduction that describes the current nursing crisis and its impact on bedside nurses like those she profiled in the book.

Genres: Nursing

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Suzanne Gordon is an award winning journalist and author who writes about healthcare delivery and health care systems. She is the author of more than 15 books, including Beyond the Checklist and First Do Less Harm, both published in 2012.

Reviews

[Brandy]

I thought this book was very awesome. Other than the last 2 chapters which were more polemic in nature (on the issue of for-profit medicine harming patients and harming the nursing profession), the rest of the book reads extremely well. It would be great for a general reader, as well as a medical professional. I got very involved in the stories of these nurses' interactions with patients, while at the same time learned about medical environments and some of the systematic issues. My favorite part was getting to really know the daily lives of diverse types of nurses since the three main nurses were a geriatric nurse practitioner involved with home care, a clinical nurse specialist in general medicine, and then a nurse specializing in cancer patient care. My favorite discussion topic was caring for dying and chronically ill patients in a humane, pain-managing way, versus always going for the heroic, yet painful "treatment" options. So excited to be a nurse!!!

[Autaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so powerful! Gordon is right, unless you are sick or have watched someone who is suffering from an illness, you do not truly understand the role of nurses. Unless of course, you read this book. I felt myself become stressed just reading about the tasks that nurses undertake on a daily basis. I have friends who are nurses and I really had no idea what they do as a career. One of my best friends is in the process of going through med school and I suggested this book to her. She is lucky enough to go to a school that really puts an emphasis on doctor-patient relationships and communication, and taking the extra time to do the small things for your patient. However, I can see how easily one can become so busy that they overlook these seemingly small tasks, that have such a huge impact on a patient. Since no one can escape either having an illness themselves or knowing someone who suffers from an illness, I think everyone would benefit from reading this in depth text.

[Laura Camp · Rating 2 out of 5]

had to put it down maybe it's because I am a nurse but I found it to be a little too much to read when I nurse all day and then come home and read about it. I found it to be a little repetitive and not that inspiring. It might be more interesting for someone that doesn't know anything about nursing though and I would recommend it to someone interested in what nursing is all about. It was very true to life.