Library Journal Reviews, October 15, 2006, Sunday

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Library Journal Reviews

October 15, 2006

SECTION: REVIEWS; Science and Technology; Pg. 79


HEADLINE: The Complexities of Care: Nursing Reconsidered

BYLINE: Dick Maxwell

BODY:
The Complexities of Care: Nursing Reconsidered. ILR: Cornell Univ . 2006. c.208p. ed. by Sioban Nelson & Suzanne Gordon . ISBN 0-8014-4505-1 [ISBN 978-0-8014-4505-7 ]. $49.95; pap. ISBN 0-8014-7322-5 . $18.95. MED
Nelson (nursing, Univ. of Toronto;Say Little, Do Much ) and journalist Gordon (nursing, Univ. of California, San Francisco) present a collection of essays about nursing, written by nurses as well as journalists, a philosopher, and a sociologist. The editors suggest that what they call a virtue script has long dominated nursing's self-image, with powerful consequences for both nurses and patients. The research they present shows that nurses in all settings tend to describe their work as caring, emotional, and compassionate, consciously avoiding mention of the knowledge and skill that are equally essential to the job. Other essays try to assess why this is such a fiercely protected image, and the editor of the American Journal of Nursing describes the anger generated by published work challenging the "angel" icon. The consequences, suggested here and based largely on theorist Patricia Benner's work, include early burnout owing to mistaken expectations and the greater use of unskilled workers, who are seen as equally capable of providing emotional care. Sometimes complex but well written and provocative, this work complements such books as Dana Beth Weinberg's Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing . Recommended for all medical libraries and academic libraries supporting nursing programs.-Dick Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver