Katie, a stoic young Native American, faces family pressures, a developing distant romantic relationship, and stress from nursing school clinicals during her junior year at Crestmont University in Dallas.
Her dream of becoming a nurse is challenged when her mother suffers an injury that could force her to stay on the farm, assume her mother’s duties, and postpone her education, perhaps permanently. Compounding her stress, Katie’s childhood friend and soulmate’s demand for a greater level of commitment drives her into an emotional spiral as she tries to balance her dream of becoming a nurse and her love for John.
The academically sound Katie finds that book learning is not sufficient for success in the clinical setting. Her frustration grows as she encounters difficulty in implementing her carefully crafted patient care plans. Her relationship with the Nurseketeers, her best friends and support system, deteriorates as she tries unsuccessfully to cope. She struggles in silence, turning in secret to alcohol to quell the chaos of clinical practice and putting herself in jeopardy of failing out of nursing school.
Joy Don Baker & Terri Goodman, nursing students in the ‘70s like the fictional characters in their Nurseketeers series, are both writers in professional nursing literature. They met in the ‘80s and have remained friends for years. As co-authors, their mission is to share enjoyment, writing, and learning through meaningful stories about diverse nursing characters.
Both are well-established leaders in perioperative nursing. Dr. Baker teaches at the University of Texas at Arlington and served as the editor-in-chief of AORN Journal. Dr. Goodman is an entrepreneur and an approved provider of continuing education as the principal at Terri Goodman & Associates.
Baker & Goodman have produced the award-winning book A, B, & Cs of Author Partnering, the definitive how-to guide that leads readers through creating a partnership, establishing a productive work environment, and producing a work of fiction, non-fiction, or journal article.
Burnout is a downhill spiral that never gets better on its own. The only solution is to CHANGE something that breaks the pattern. However, along with burnout comes emotional fatigue and finally, depression.Reach out to someone for help. Folks who care will help you do what it takes. Reversing burnout is a team effort.
Book Excerpt
Silent Struggle
Honestly, Sheila, I hate that I’m drinking, but it’s the only thing that takes the edge off. I wake up feeling awful, clinicals are a disaster, and it doesn’t get any better until I get to the dorm and calm down with a drink. No matter how prepared I am and how much I try to convince myself I can manage, I end up dreading every time I set foot in the hospital.
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