1. Foreword -- 2. Career choices: How I came to study nursing -- 3. Mad bad and sad -- 4. First encounters with death -- 5. Poo -- 6. ED or the GP -- 7. Love bites and herpes -- 8. Do you believe in God? -- 9. Trusting your instinct -- 10. Nurses versus Doctors -- 11. Self-harm and suicide attempts -- 12. Noob nurses and epic fails -- 13. Catch my disease -- 14. Colourful clinical handovers & puzzling presentations -- 15. Post-traumatic stress and burnout -- 16. Shit that nurses say -- 17. The blame game -- 18. Being a patient -- 19. Magic medications and broken bones -- 20. Some things are harder to explain -- 21. Working with youngens and complicated families -- 22. Learn to duck and weave -- 23. Would you like to shower with me? -- 24. What you find confronting will surprise you -- 25. Brainstorm -- 26. Tell me your agenda -- 27. Missing -- 28. An introduction to the psychiatric ward -- 29. Caring for diverse populations -- 30. Nursing in faraway places -- 31. Overcoming disabilities -- 32. Nursing suggestions for living well -- 33. Saying thank you -- 34. Visiting hours are now over

This book gives a sincere yet honest representation of modern nursing in all its forms rather than purely focusing only on the good the funny the sad or the ugly. This book provides a collection of stories that concentrate on nursing, that validates, educates and encourages those undertaking a career in nursing. In addition, this book also celebrates the amazing rewards that the unique career of nursing has to offer, for those who can find a way to persevere through the challenges. There is a high rate of burnout among nurses in their early days of practice, because of the high demands placed on them by the healthcare system; hospital administrations; the expectations of management, patients, families and carers; and the sheer size of the patient loads with complex needs these days. The global pandemic erupting has now pushed a health care service that was already under pressure to now be in complete crisis. The world now knows that we need more nurses employed to be able to move forward from this calamity. This book closes that gap in that it encourages the readers to continue to pursue a career in nursing (despite the challenges that the profession holds) while also positively promoting the incredible work that nurses do. The chapters within this book, explore a cornucopia of different aspects of nursing including: caring for dying patients, dealing with bodily fluids and how patients are not very good at working out how sick they really are. The book also covers how to manage the care of patients with complex mental illnesses and those contemplating suicide. This book is targeted at nurses who may feel a little overwhelmed with the world that is nursing but who wish to thrive and further their career. Discussion questions at the end of the book further add to the reflection and learning process of the reader