Lehigh Valley Hospital Nurses Write Children's Book

As I was thinking what to blog about his week, the answer was literally delivered to my office by the courier. The whole goal of my blog is to inform readers what today’s nurses do.  We are so much more than just someone who follows doctors’ orders—we are educated, compassionate, cost-conscious, ever-present and dedicated to our patients.  We are passionate about our profession and want to spread this passion to others, especially children.  We want kids to grow up wanting to be nurses. 

So, what arrived in my office that inspired this blog?  A book.  More specifically the following book: Mommies and Daddies are Nurses by Eileen Wasson, RN and Angela Strausser, RN. The book was illustrated by Roey Ebert and published by AuthorHouse.

This book, written for children ages 3 – 7, is written by two staff nurses that work atThey were inspired to write this book because they both fell in love with nursing and decided it was their chosen career at a young age—Eileen was just 3 and remembers wearing her neighbor’s nursing cap and from then on, she only wanted to be a nurse.  Angie was 10 and recalls the outstanding care her ill father received from nurses.  Then, when they became moms themselves, they both sought out a book about nursing to read to their own children.  They quickly discovered no such book existed and the idea to write their own was born.  It is Eileen’s and Angie’s hope that their book exposes children at a young age to the wonderful world of nursing and will be a tool for nursing advocacy and career awareness. 

I am so excited when I read this book because it has examples of real nurses in it, performing real nursing jobs.  The drawings are accurate portrayals of today’s nurse working in today’s world.  There are no caricatures of "Betty Boop" type nurses wielding huge syringes.  There are real life "mommies and daddies" in real life nursing uniforms doing real life nursing things. 

I am so proud to know the two nurses who authored this book and have seen the excellent care they provide to each and every patient on their unit.  This book is a must for any future nurses in your life—I know I will be getting it for my boys, Logan and Ridley, and my niece, Zoe.  I can’t wait to sit and read it with them and share my passion for the nursing profession!