Review Caring Lessons by Lois Hoitenga Roelofs

You will be amused, saddened, and inspired as you read this intimate and introspective memoir. Plus you will learn the importance of faith, family, and friendship— whatever your profession— and come away with a new appreciation of caring for yourself as well as caring for others.

  My Thoughts and Opinion: When the “call” went out for reviewers of this memoir and after reading the synopsis, being a former RN, I signed on.   It has been many years since my days as a student nurse and working as a licensed RN, however, I can vividly recall many incidents both funny and sad, good and bad, and countless patients that touched my heart.   I had expectations that this book would be memorable stories of the author’s years during her training, patients that had touched her life and anecdotes during her years of nursing.

I could relate to the beginning of the book, where the author tells of her training, and the questioning of her career decision, to pursue a 2 year degree in Nursing.   Her clinical training rotations (working on specialty floors of hospitals) such as psych, medical/surgical brought back memories. The book then goes through her years of continuing her education whereas she receives her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD and the different positions that she works in.   She shares, and you can actually feel her pride and enjoyment, about the years when she was a Nursing Instructor.   This is my opinion, and my opinion only, but maybe I started reading this book thinking it was going to take a different route than it did, and because of that assumption on my part, I was expecting  and hoping for something different and felt a bit of a let down with this read.