Review of ‘The Courage to Care’ by Christie Watson

This is a very moving, incredible and thoughtful book on nursing, written by former nurse and author of The Language of Kindness, Christie Watson.

The book is an exploration of what nursing is and what it feels like to be a nurse in the NHS. It’s very personal, as it details the adoption process which the author goes through to have a sibling for her birth daughter, with a lot of discussion on parenthood and the things that can go wrong with children’s health. Some of the content is shocking and very sad. You might feel bruised after reading it. A variety of nursing types are included, such as prison, military, forensic, district and school nursing. The emphasis throughout the book is that teamwork is vitally important for any setting. There are some really tense moments when Watson describes medical emergencies and you’re reading on, desperate to know what happens and whether the person recovered. They are not written in a sensational way, however, but are there to illustrate her points about the importance of nurses. There is some mention of the current pandemic, as she was just finishing the book when the wards began to fill with coronavirus patients.

Recommended if you want to understand and appreciate what nurses do for us.

Published in 2020.