AN ACADEMIC NURSE’S TALE

An academic nurse describes her career path and shares her wisdom in this memoir.

“I never really wanted to be a nurse, but…I couldn’t think of any other career for women that I felt drawn to either,” confesses Brink. As a child, she loved to read and blames the Cherry Ames book series about a nurse for her career choice. The author was born in the Philippines to American parents and spent part of her early life as a prisoner of war following the Japanese invasion of the country during World War II. After the war, the family moved to America, and during high school, Brink began planning to attend a nursing school in Los Angeles. The memoir charts her training, including her early aversion to hospital smells. After becoming a registered nurse, the author worked in various cities before embarking on a Ph.D. at UCLA in 1969. Brink reflects on a career punctuated with achievements that led her to become the associate dean for nursing research at the University of Alberta. Entering retirement, the author examined how nursing offered an “outlet” for her restlessness and creativity. Brink is an unflinchingly honest writer. Describing an early experience in the operating theater, she notes: “It was dreadful. Her entire belly was filled with blood that started pouring out on the table as soon as the first cut was made. I was frantic trying to clean it up.” Still, the memoir bubbles with enthusiasm, and the author’s delight in her accomplishments is palpable: “Me! A surgical nurse! I was thrilled at the offer.” On occasion, Brink glosses over important moments in her life. During her training, she reveals, “I was deeply depressed. I thought about suicide.” The author does not fully describe these emotions or how she overcame them, which could have resulted in a more compelling psychological memoir. The text would also benefit from a strong editor; for instance, a photograph captioned “our capping ceremony” erroneously shows the author’s Chevy Coupe. Brink deftly describes the realities of nursing, and her story will offer those interested in this career a window into many aspects of the profession. But this remains a somewhat abrupt autobiography that does not satisfactorily unpack the emotional challenges of being a nurse.

A forthright and inspirational, if somewhat underdeveloped, remembrance of a life dedicated to nursing.