Silent Struggle

Literature & Fiction

synopsis

Synopsis

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.

bio

Author Biography

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.

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Author Insight

Behavior: Choice or Pattern?

Unconscious drift describes behavior that transitions from a decision to a habit. Any behavior becomes easier with repetition. We can drift unconsciously into a good habit, like getting up earlier each day, ultimately becoming an early riser. It's just as easy to drift unconsciously into a bad habit. This is how burnout, addiction, or general life-chaos often begins, not with a single catastrophic decision, but with the slow erosion of boundaries. Getting a handle on a situation before it's too late requires self-awareness, responsibility for purposeful behavior, and sensitivity to internal alarm bells. True maturity is about recognizing when your "autopilot" is steering you toward a cliff.

Book Excerpt

Silent Struggle

Sheila laughed. “You’re a wimp, Katie. I’d’a thought by now you’d have developed some tolerance. Time to get you home and pour you into bed. Tomorrow’s a class day.”

Sheila’s comment took Katie by surprise.

Her eyes grew wide “Oh my god, Sheila, it’s a weekday and I didn’t think twice about drinking to celebrate. I need to get a handle on this.”

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JD and T Baker and Goodman

Silent Struggle

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

Behavior: Choice or Pattern?

Book Excerpt

Silent Struggle

Comment on this Bubble