Illuminating memoir of life as a night-shift RN.

Great for fans of Rachel E. Ostrander’s Nurse: A Memoir, Christie Watson’s The Language of Kindness.

MEMOIR

When Being a Nurse Was Fun: Tales

From My Life as a Nurse

Ann Watt | Stillwater River Publications

236p, trade paper, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-960505-09-5

Capturing attention from the start with light-hearted but revealing anecdotes from registered nurse and debut author Watt,

When Being a Nurse Was Fun is a likable, engaging memoir that demystifies the world of healthcare for the everyday reader. Watt pleases her audience with short, memorably written accounts of her time in the ICU during night shifts in Massachusetts and Rhode

Island hospitals, over a career of 30 years. With a clear-eyed prose that is equally digestible and beguiling, stories highlight relationships with co-workers and encounters with patients that run the gamut from shocking to comic to inspiring, especially in instances where patients let Watt know she had made a significant impact on their lives.

The highly valued camaraderie between the nursing staff and doctors is demonstrated with stories about teamwork while providing lifepreserving care. Watt sketches quick portraits of a host of characters, as Ann’s colleagues prank and bond in colorful ways throughout the years. A sense of regret informs some memories, as when she describes the isolation endured by AIDS patients in the early days of that epidemic, before the development of effective treatments. Elsewhere, delightful stories of encounters with patients who were not on their best behavior. “Nurses are tolerant of other people’s behavior and are sympathetic to the range of emotions patients feel,” Watt writes, and her feeling of responsibility for them each night shift powers the book.

Watt poignantly requests readers to be appreciative of the care that nurses give and sensitive to the difficult situations they continually face, especially in the pandemic era. In a direct, professional style, she communicates the clear break she achieves from work life and home life. Hiking accomplishments on the East Coast, along with extensive travel, demonstrate Watt’s dedication to her own health. That striving spirit, buoyant humor, and a deep respect for her profession makes Watt a strong ambassador for nurses, imparting her wisdom in a warm and entertaining voice.

Cover: A | Design & typography: A- | Illustrations: – Editing: A- | Marketing copy: A