Watchful Care: A History of Americas Nurse Anesthetists

by Marianne Bankert

Marianne Bankert has written both a history of the nurse anesthetist and of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. The book emphasizes the struggle that the nurse anesthetists had in the turf wars not only with the physicians but with organized nursing. The result is a fascinating study of the growth of a profession and its struggles to survive.

Genres: Medical, Medicine, Nonfiction

234 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1989

Reviews

[Mikayla Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history but a tough read.

[Rob Cromley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really capitulates the endeavors nurse Anesthetists have been through to elevate their profession. I had no idea how usurping like the power control from anesthetist to anesthesiologists was and how it has continued to be maintained. Reading this book, objectively, one gets a good idea on how patriarchal the Doctor-nurse relationship was, and why then Anesthesia was initially a nurse assigned duty. Bankert puts you in the trenches with the OG
Anesthetists and their fight to maintain the art and science of anesthesia. The myriad of brow-beating doctors going at nurse Anesthetists and their supporting medical institutions in this account never bored me once!

[Kendall Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool history but sometimes a tough read. Would like to see an update/second edition with post 1989 history tho ! Could be a good reference book to have for writing

[Jenessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important read if going into nurse anesthesia, otherwise I don't know why you would read it. The beginnings of the profession.

[CPT Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing documentary of the history of Anesthesia, and those that fought and established it.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative and helpful for understanding the history of the profession. However, it could have been shorter and still given the same message. Lots of redundancy and a little too much detail in some areas, at least for my purposes of reading it. Was recommended to me by many as the book all nurse anesthetists should read. Definitely did not captivate me, but I AM glad I read it.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good History of how CRNAs came to be- Standing on the Shoulders of giants