Blue Girl: Nursing Beyond the Ward

by Emma Gracie

In 1997, just before I turned 16, I was accidentally flung into the world of healthcare. This unexpected journey lit a fire in me that would carry me through the next 23 years of nursing.

I’ve witnessed births, deaths and all that lies in between. I’ve been exhausted, heartbroken and sexually assaulted. I’ve anguished over children who aren’t my own and I have battled an illness that forced me to change places from nurse to patient.

But I have also had a blast. I’ve met and learned from extraordinary characters who I can never forget. I’d love you to meet them too and share the crazy, sad, shocking, moving and hilarious experiences that made me Blue Girl.

Genres: Medical, Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 8, 2020

About the author

Two years ago, after 22 years of nursing, I started my blog www.bluegirlnurse.co.uk The interest in this surprised me so during the lockdown of Spring 2020 I converted my blogs into my first book, a nursing memoir, called Blue Girl: Nursing Beyond the Ward. I self-published it in July 2020 and since then over 2500 copies have been bought or downloaded which I am thrilled about!

Since the book's release I have spoken at a rally campaigning for fairer pay and conditions for healthcare workers, have protested regarding pay, have been invited to speak on my local radio and have featured in several local news articles. My protest received over 90000 interactions on Facebook alone confirming that this is a relevant and important subject.

I currently work as a school nurse, locum practice nurse and yoga teacher.

If you'd like to follow my work you can find me at https://www.facebook.com/bluegirlnurse https://twitter.com/bluegirlnurse or https://www.instagram.com/bluegirlnurse/

Reviews

[T.C. Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books written by nurses over the years (and have even written one myself). I can honestly say that this is now my new second favorite.

Emma Gracie is already an accomplished author and it shows. Her story telling is vivid and filled with detail. As a fellow nurse, I often felt that I was actually in the room with her, watching the events she describes unfold. That is a rare talent indeed.

I also liked that many of her tales were so upbeat. She obviously cares a great deal for her patients. Given the stress that health care workers are under right now, it is easy to forget sometimes all of the positive aspects of our job. It was so good to hear such a positive perspective for a while. It renewed my faith in nursing.

All in all, this was a great read, and one that I would recommend to all health care professionals.

[Ruthy McGarrigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opens up your eyes and tells the truth about nursing. The good, the bad and the ugly! Lots of funny stories and some really sweet ones too. How lucky we are that we have people in the world like Emma. A brilliant read!

[Niamh Meredith]

Fab , a tear jerker

[Addisyn Ludden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who is covering multiple nursing roles. She is in her 23rd year in this career. This book talks a lot about the highs and lows of the nursing profession. She shares a lot of personal stuff to put it into perspective. She shares her hard times and also all of her good times. I liked a lot of things about this book, but one thing in particular is that it feels real when you are actually reading it. Like you are there with her. One thing I didn't like was how sad some of it was. Because she talks about everything that happens. The main motif of this book is the rewarding moments from this job through good and bad times. I would recommend this book to anyone going into the nursing field. It is a very good book to read.

[Mary Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read

I read this book because I'm a registered nurse and I was interested in reading a fellow nurse thoughts and experiences. I'm in the USA and this is a UK writer. First, I strongly think this book needs additional words added. Not everyone knows what an acronym stands for and for the first use of each the full words should be included in parenthesis. Non medical people must have these words. That is why this story rates four stars. That said, if the writer addresses the medical issues so the general public understands what they are reading, I will change the stars to five stars as this is a five star book. I was able to relate to most all experiences this author wrote of and so I felt connected. The human caring component is wonderful and supportive. There are different types of nurses in the world and one type is the bottom line cost factor nurse. Another type is the purely clinical and by the book nurse. Lastly, there is the nurse who is careful with supplies, knows the book, but can do small things that are not by the book and are helpful for the patient. This nurse is also full of compassion. That is the best nurse. The author and myself both fall in this third category. Thank you to all nurses and front line workers.

[Nikki Deeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly, I would like to highlight the importance of the final blogs included which reference the need for nursing pay rises, improved support and better working conditions. Nurses and everyone else working in the NHS are amazing.
This book was a quick read and did highlight the variety in a nurse’s role.
Sadly, I felt uncomfortable in some parts of the book with certain turns of phrase that I felt were inappropriate when discussing patients - for example using terminology such as “loon” and “mad woman” - I just felt there were times where mental health was viewed as a joke or spoken of in a derogatory manner, for this reason the book didn’t sit entirely well with me and lost quite a lot of its charm.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet

I thought I would try a book written by a nurse. Quite a few sweet stories of the author caring for aged patients. She often went above and beyond the call of duties. I had no idea that men patents were quite eager to drop their trousers. Very bad situation for a female nurse. This is in the UK. I never hear of this in America but it must happen on occasion. Nice book and a fast read.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently found it hard to pick up a book. I picked this up off my shelf as I initially thought it’s a small book and thought it would be easier to take with me whilst I wait for my partner who had a hospital appointment. I did not anticipate how much I wanted to keep reading.

Gracie wrote this in such a beautiful way I did not want to put it down. Been a nurse myself I could relate to the stories she told and the feelings she felt. As a nurse you always get told you can’t have favourites which is true you can’t but you always come across patients that will stay with you forever throughout your career. They shape the professional you become. Gracie portrays this amazingly.

I have not only enjoyed this read but I’ve also got out of my book lag. I just hope that anyone who isn’t medically minded picks this book up enjoys it as much as I did. I also hope that it allows people to be more respectful towards the medical professionals.

[Julie Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, easy, and interesting read.

I like memoirs written from diaries/journals/blogs; I like the authenticity of it; written as it happened, so this really worked for me.

This covers the 20+ years that the author has been a nurse, from her student days, to working in various different establishments: Hospital, Hospice, Nursing Home, GP Practice, School etc. She originally wrote a blog and people persuaded her to turn it into a book. This was a quick, easy, and interesting read for me.

She produces a very balanced account, caring and sensitively telling of various cases, and including some more unusual patients/scenarios she has come across, and their various quirks. She also tells it from the other side when she has her own brush with ill-health.

It's well-written, very accurate, and easy to understand for readers who don't work in the medical field.

I notice she has just released another book, and will be very interested to read that too.

[Luisa Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir giving insight into the world of nursing in the UK. Emma Gracie's early work, caring for the elderly, helps steer her career choice. The book relates an array of life events from her working days, some highly amusing, others disturbing. Emma's good nature, kindness and resilience shine through. Her varied nursing jobs give her excellent experience and made me reflect on how important empathy and goodwill are vital character traits in the nursing profession. It is unfortunate that the book ends on a note of anger at the dreadful way the NHS (British healch serice) has suffered over the past decade, and continues to suffer, with the government failing again and again to get a grip and invest sufficient funding to provide more nurses, doctors, and better infrastructure. The wonderful professionals are over-worked and burnt out. The book makes for an interesting read.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry! Maybe this just wasn't what I thought it was going to be, and maybe I'm being unfair because I'm not really a fan of blogs and blogging. Gracie has written about some very important experiences and you can tell she's an amazing nurse, but I'm not sure what this book is actually trying to achieve. It's all diary-like and purely personal experiences (admittedly just not my thing) until the end where it suddenly gets a bit political, which is good, but it feels clunky. I would have liked to read more of the societal commentary throughout, and with some actual direction to it.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good read. This book is about how Emma was thrown into nursing at the age of 16 and how she had many different roles in the healthcare setting. She gives many stories about witnessing births, deaths, illness, and heartbreak. This book is very honest and shares the truth about healthcare. The motif of this book is care; this book talks about giving care and receiving it, whether she's helping a dying patient or comforting a child.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nursing Memoir

Author is a Registered Nurse in England..
once I realized that her working "in surgery" meant a physician group, I was good to go in understanding work environment s Emma is a very compassionate nurse and I loved her stories, especially working with the elderly.

[Victor Akongwale · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the heart

This was written from the heart. It is a delight to note that Emma is not seeking for cheap fame, but just keen on letting us have a glimpse, however brief, into her experience of nursing

[Marion Ahmedzai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it gave a very good insight into what our nurses endure from some patients and also how much they are needed and welcomed by our senior citizens. Despite having to endure a very unpleasant illness Emma continues to assist others.

[Thomas Welches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue Girl: Nursing Beyond the Ward

Really enjoyed this book, after working some twenty odd years in nursing. I appreciate the honest and telling it like it is narrative. Recommend the book.

[Terri Walkemeyer T.L.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEARTFELT INTERESTING REAR

I easily got into this book & read it straight through. It was so enjoyable that I'm getting the next one in the series. Special thanks to the author for making her books available through Kindle Unlimited!!!

[Lynn Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok short read

[Kate Uprichard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely interesting and uplifting book about Community based nursing

[Anne Taylor]

Short collection of blog posts about a community nurse in the UK.

[clanger3920 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the ward and far away.

An interesting account of a nurses journey through training and into career changes which helped shape her into the person she is now.

[alison oshaughnessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

This book id an interesting insight in to different nursing roles, this lady is one of lifes true angels,hope you all get the payrise you deserve

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, could relate a lot to it

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read! Love every word written, and true to the core!
Will certainly recommend to others, and start on the next book!