Books every nurse should read

There’s something almost therapeutic about opening a book after a shift that has wrung you out. Reading is one of the few pastimes that looks after you and rests you at the same time: it takes you out of your head and, at the same time, helps you understand it better. That’s why today we want to talk about books for people in scrubs, with no set prescriptions and plenty of room for your own recommendations.

Instead of handing you a list of titles, we’re suggesting types of books. That way, whichever bookshop you walk into, you’ll know what you’re looking for.

To feel understood: memoirs and first-hand accounts

Those books written by healthcare workers who tell it like it is about life in a hospital. You read them and think, ‘I’ve felt that too.’ They’re a mirror and a hug in equal measure, perfect for reminding you that you’re not alone in what you feel.

To grow without it feeling like a lecture: humane non-fiction

Essays on care, empathy, pain or the end of life, written to move you rather than to test you. They’re not technical manuals: they’re the ones that make you a better professional through the heart, not the syllabus.

The books on caring that stay with you don’t teach you to cannulate better: they teach you to see better.

To escape completely: pure fiction

Sometimes the healthiest thing is to read nothing that smells of hospital. A good novel, in whatever genre you love, is a holiday for the mind without leaving the sofa. Never underestimate the power of a story that grips you and makes you forget your bleep.

• Crime fiction if you like your adrenaline outside work too.
• Romance or feel-good for days that call for tenderness.
• Historical fiction or fantasy to get well away from the nurses’ station.

To quieten your mind: poetry and short books

When you’re too tired to follow a long plot, poetry or short story collections are pure gold. You read a page, savour it and close the book. Perfect for those ten-minute breaks that deserve more than your phone.

To pour it all out: journals and notebooks

Not every book is for reading; some are for writing in. A notebook where you can offload whatever is weighing on you after a shift, note down what you’ve learnt or simply breathe between the pages can be one of the most healing things on your bedside table.

A few tricks so reading doesn’t stay a good intention

1. Always carry a book (or your e-reader) in your bag for those in-between moments.
2. Don’t force yourself to finish something that isn’t grabbing you: life’s too short.
3. Look for a book club for healthcare workers: reading in company is twice as addictive.

Now it’s your turn: which book kept you company through a tough time or made you a better nurse? Leave it in the comments so that together we can build the loveliest nurses’ bookshelf on the internet. And share this with that bookworm colleague of yours. Let’s build a community, one page at a time.