How to Treat People: A Nurse's Notes

by Molly Case

As a teenager, Molly Case underwent an operation that saved her life. Nearly a decade later, she finds herself in the operating room again—this time as a trainee nurse. She learns to care for her patients, sharing not only their pain, but also life- affirming moments of hope. In doing so, she offers a compelling account of the processes that keep them alive, from respiratory examinations to surgical prep. But when Molly’s father is admitted to the cardiac unit where she works, the professional and the personal suddenly collide.

In rich, lyrical prose, Case illustrates the intricacies of the human condition through the hand of a stranger, offered in solace, and in a person’s last breaths. Weaving together medical history, art, memoir, and science, How to Treat People explores the oscillating rhythms of life and death in a tender reminder that we can all find meaning in the lives of others.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Medicine, Memoir, Biography, Nursing, Health

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2019

About the author

Molly Case was born and raised in London, where she works as a cardiac nurse specialist at St. George’s Hospital. Also a poet and spoken-word artist, her works have appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, the Times, Elle, and the Huffington Post.

Reviews

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely medical memoir about Molly's journey into nursing. First, she has an operation as a teenager and now working on the hospital wards, she shares her journey about studying Creative Writing/English at Uni alongside working as a care-worker in a nearby nursing home and also her feelings on life and death. Raw and emotional, I enjoyed and appreciated hearing her experiences. Would recommend!

[Janel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“a still patient whose chest is silent is far more frightening than any other sound.”

Part memoir, part science; the connection between nurse and patient, the empathy, the kindness, the moments shared is what it means to be a nurse - this book was a pleasure to read.

As well as sharing her professional experiences, Molly shares her personal ones too (the other side, if you like) when her father is admitted to the high dependency unit where she works.

I loved the medical history interspersed throughout the book - it fascinates me how much today’s medicine/society is influenced by ancient [Greek and Egyptian] practices.

One of the key things we are taught as nurses is the importance of reflection, and Molly’s reflection is a moving one, the practice and the passion, highly recommended reading!

My thanks to the publisher (Penguin/Viking) for gifting me a copy of this book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down

A solid addition to the medical memoir sub-genre, How to Treat People offers a slightly different perspective compared to the previous books I've read in this genre - that of a nurse. What I took away from this was that nurses have a slightly different relationship with patients than that of surgeons and doctors/GPs, and Case's book is written with true compassion for her patients in their time of need. Her experiences at work are interwoven with her father's and her own medical background, along with snippets of history of medicine and specific illnesses. Fans of This is Going to Hurt and Do No Harm are sure to find something to enjoy here.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca]

I read the first 77 pages. Her writing about her nursing training and the patients she encountered is pleasant enough, but I found the structure (Airway – Breathing – Circulation – Disability – Exposure) clichéd and too similar to the Aoife Abbey book I DNFed earlier in the year. If you’re going to read a book about nursing it might as well be Christie Watson’s The Language of Kindness.

[Clair Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a medical memoir, a genre I am thrilled is being populated by lots of moving and informative books. The author, Molly Case studied English Literature and creative writing at Bath University and while there worked as a care worker in a residential facility for people with Alzheimer's. She discovered her natural calling, deciding to train as a nurse.
How to Treat People details her experiences as a nurse. She details her own experiences of a rare gastrointestinal disorder as a teenager and how it felt for her when her dad became a patient on the cardiac unit on which she worked. There are also medical descriptions explaining how a medical professional will examine a patient from head to toe using the ABCDE method (Airway, Breathing. Circulation, Disability, Exposure) and the roots of current medical science from both Greek and Egyptian origins.
There are also plenty of patient stories, all moving and we see the compassion and care that the medical profession afford these people. There are also some amusing moments (a man who couldn't remove his penis ring before surgery!) I loved that it was written by someone who has studied literature because the language was beautiful and compelling.
Having spent a lot of time in hospitals over the last few years with my son who has a rare autoinflammatory disorder, it is fascinating to be able to read about the people who care for us. This books isn't overly sentimental or emotional but is an honest account of what it is like to be a nurse - Case is a talented writer and an exceptional nurse.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in hardback. This is my first medical true book that I have. Molly Case explains in detail finding her granny dead and five years later she saw her second dead body on her first ward, on her first morning within her first hour of nurse training.

I too see my first dead body when I was serving tea and coffee, at a hospital, when no nurse informed me that a lady had died, there I stood talking to a dead lady asking her if she would like tea or coffee. I do think that a nurse could have informed me not to go to this lady as she had died.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and sweet nursing memoir that is peppered with stories from the frontline and a little history and philosophy of nursing throughout the ages.

I enjoyed this book, although the author is still fairly newly qualified, she writes with a poetic tone and this is what makes it so readable. The author manages to share some of her own personal stories with the NHS and from her time as a nursing student.

All of the chapters ended bluntly which I found a bit odd. I was expecting more from each part about what came next, or a deeper analysis of the history of nursing. However, this was an enjoyable read and likely to please fans of the medical memoir genre.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the language of this book was overly flowery - that put me off at times and it seemed self-conscious. The stories themselves were really interesting and moving. But I also felt that some bits may have been a little embellished. I would have liked a section at the end that explained how she anonymised the patients. For example, some of the detail was identifiable, e.g. the patient had this nationality, had this occupation, and had this condition, at this hospital. Surely the only reason that would have been acceptable is if some of the details were changed or some of the 'patients' were really a mix of multiple patients? Overall though, very refreshing to see a medical memoir written by somebody other than a doctor, and it was excellent how she made a point of acknowledging the role of healthcare assistants. Nurses, healthcare assistants and other allied health professionals are just as expert as doctors and we can learn a lot from them.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly deftly describes and humanises nursing. Personal and professional stories interweave, culminating in heart-wrenching moments, and sometimes funny ones too. There are moments of pure poetry and yet also a truthful, plain quality to the writing as she does not shy away from the realities of nursing. Always respectful and deeply caring you can feel how much she connects with her job and the people she meets.

A definite recommendation for those interested in nursing, medicine or who have enjoyed other books like Language of Kindness or This Is Going To Hurt. Or, just those who enjoy reading a really well written memoir.

[Violeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like medical writing, but something about this memoir wasn’t right for me. Maybe I expected it (due to the title) to be more about the connection nursing allows with patients, or about empathy...and while it did have aspects of those more metaphorical themes, it focused much more on literal patient care (assessment, testing, procedures) than I expected, and I struggled to feel its relevance as a non-nurse.

[Acacia Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be my favourite "medical stories book." The way in which Case wove her own personal story, patient stories, history, and the roots of ideas together mesmerised me and left me wishing she had written more.
At times, the book was slightly confusing to follow, but overall it tied together incredibly well. Highly recommend it.

[Macaira Leahy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written, short but informative glimpse into the life of a nurse. An especially powerful read right now in the midst of the SARS-CoV2 outbreak. She included the following quote at the end of the book: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" - Fred Rogers

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful and as a soon-to-be nursing student I absolutely devoured it. The perfect mix of medical stories, memoir and poignant observations. It was an easy but touching read that will definitely stay with me.

[James Wann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in just a couple of days. It is wonderfully crafted; split up into sections by ABCDE (a nurse's examination checklist). Case makes the esoteric familiar so that her complex medical experiences are accessible for the rest of us. At times it's tragic, at times it's funny, but it's always gentle and respectful.

Tender moments, like feeling her father's Old Holborn breath against her cheek, pre-empt and contextualise the experiences and responsibilities of her job. They introduce us to the person, outside of the hospital. I felt so personally invested in the people in this book, thanks to the empathy with which they were written.

'How to Treat People' is a testament to how wonderful, and how important nurses are. And why I couldn't do it myself. Thankfully, Case diligently presents how, for those made of stern enough stuff, it can be one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, too.

I highly recommend this.

[Christine Herman · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a health care professional, I wanted to love this book. It's a memoir of a young woman's experiences while training as a nurse and during the first years of her career. The stories of her patients and their journeys were fascinating, and you're there with Molly as she learns from each one. There is a second story line about her family and her father which captured my attention as well. Unfortunately, Molly chose to sandwich ancient medical history, biology lessons, and explanations of complicated medical conditions and procedures into the book, often in the middle of a patient story. I almost gave up reading this book, but I pushed through by skimming the extraneous history and medical trivia. In the end, I'm glad I did. The stories of Molly's colorful and determined patients made it worthwhile. If she had focused on them alone, this would have been a much more enjoyable book.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to treat people is Case’s love letter to the nursing profession, her father and her patients. It’s full of stories that evocatively describe our relationship with each other and how each action can positively affect a person’s life.

The stories collated using the nursing assessment criteria ABCDE and throughout Case weaves patient experiences with her own, her father was admitted to the same unit she worked at and had to have cardiac surgery.

How to treat people is a wonderfully rich read, it’ll make you laugh and cry but most importantly it’ll leave you with a deeper respect of nurses and each other.

[Flora Phillipson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an insightful read into the care of service users from the perspective of a nurse! As a student nurse myself I found a lot of the content to be relatable yet also an opportunity to experience what fellow healthcare workers have been through and learnt on their journeys. The incorporation of the ABCDE assessment was brilliantly done, it has made me consider new aspects of the assessment I would never have thought of. A fantastic read showing the highs and lows of working in healthcare!

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I generally enjoy medical memoirs, and this one was no exception. Case gives an insightful look into nursing whilst also sharing her own family history and incorporating aspects of medical history and etymology, which I found really interesting.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too self interested. I usually love medical biographies but didn’t finish this.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fine book describing the experiences a young nurse had in England, both with her family in the hospital and with patients on the wards. She uses the ABCDE method of patient evaluation as the basis for her book.

[Reagan Wilke · Rating 3 out of 5]

partially memoir partially case studies but very accessible and she does a great way of explaining medical stuff for non-nurses. cool formatting and super quick read

[Beth Spackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book - but a little directionless.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this narrative a bit incoherent and not amazingly compelling, and I didn't get a great sense of what it's like to be a nurse. It has certainly reinforced my notion of how brutal it is to work in healthcare, and the general sense that most healthcare workers would literally rather die than be on the other side of large swathes of the services provided by the medical system 😬 (I don't recall if she mentions her end-of-life preferences, but I get the general impression from doctors and nurses who deal with end-of-life care that they think euthanasia should be practiced much more widely, starting with them, and this book didn't dissuade me from this opinion).

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected but enjoyable and easy read.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It felt a little fragmented, but the stories were poetically written.

[Beth Ann Ditkoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a lovely ode to nurses and healthcare teams. The author, Molly Case, weaves her personal life and nurse's training with individual sections devoted to patient care/clinical vignettes. The book is structured around the ABCs of patient assessment--airway, breathing, circulation, disability and exposure. Throughout the text, Case's voice demonstrates the humility, altruism and intellectual curiosity that it takes to be a successful and compassionate health care provider. Case's descriptions of clinical care are written in lay person's language and are easy to follow. I recommend this memoir/case studies book to the nonfiction reader interested in healthcare and/or medical education.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read. Love the structure: ABCDE. In general, I love behind-the-scenes narrative and terms, and this book did not disappoint. AVPU: now I understand why you first hear "the patient is alert."

The memoir aspect of the story didn't capture me the same way, but I like the mention of having to separate nurse-Molly from daughter-Molly when her father becomes a patient.

The narrative sometimes felt fragmented and disjointed. There was some unnecessary repetition (as if there was an expectation that people would not read the entire book) but strangely coupled with some not-enough repetition (e.g. reminding us who someone is).

[Madison Deppe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

A quiet and pleasant sort of relaying of stories. A nice insight into the life and different days of a nurse.

I found she skipped around a fair bit between personal anecdotes and work stories, and, to me, sometimes the tether connecting her personal stories or comparisons were just too unrelated.

[Fiona Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that a lot of people should read as it reminds us about the human side of health care from the nurse’s viewpoint. I sometimes think people forget that nurses and doctors are humans with feelings and they do such a difficult job.

[Daniella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be more science than memoir, which is not what I expected. At times it felt like I was reading a science manual with very poetic language. That brings me to another point: this was very poetically written but I felt disconnected from it all. It was as though a spoken word poem was transcribed onto page in certain sections. Overall, it felt fragmented and like I was reading different chapters collected into one book. I didn’t enjoy jumping from one topic to another, especially because by the end I was asking myself- what was the point? What did I just read? I wouldn’t be opposed to reading anything else written by the author though.