Guest blog post from Jordyn Redwood: What's Nursing Really Like?

Dear friends, I'm delighted to have Jordyn Redwood as a guest on the blog today! Her bio is at the end of this piece, but I want you to know right away that Jordyn has been my medical consultant for every single piece of fiction I've ever written. If you're a writer, do yourself a favor and visit her Web site, where she corrects medical myths and answers questions sent in by authors like me, who want to make sure we get the facts straight regarding injuries, recovery, etc. You can search the blog for the issue of your choice, and if you don't find it, send her a question personally for her to answer for the entire world's benefit. Jordyn is an amazing asset in that way, and a published author herself. Her most recent release is a Love Inspired Suspense called Fractured Memory! Without further ado, I'll let her take over! Psst: stay tuned for a give-away opportunity at the end!

A friend of mine from high school read my recent release, Fractured Memory, and sent me a note expressing how much she liked it. But it wasn’t the normal things someone says when they’ve read one of my novels—like what a great suspense book!

This friend is my longest friendship. We met in 7^th grade. We are now in our forties. Likely only my parents and my husband know me better so her comment stunned me a little.

She noted that the book gave her great insight into the field of nursing—almost like she had read a personal journal. This stunned me. Of course, I’ve shared my trench stories with her, but there was something about the way I wrote this fiction book that gave her great insight into my real life.

Fractured Memory was contracted through Love Inspired’s Blurb to Book contest. Due to the short writing deadlines, it was definitely a case of write what you know. Julia Galloway’s (the heroine) life is patterned after my nursing career and she makes statements that are very true of my career.

In one scene, Julia is asked a little bit about her profession. She says, I’ve had the worst day and the best day in one day. This seems like an impossible reality. The truth is, I have saved a patient and lost a patient in the same day. The highs and lows of the nursing life compressed in a tumultuous twelve hours.

And I know I’m not alone in this.

The lows in nursing are soul crushing. I’ve told a child her parents are dead. I’ve told siblings their sister has died. I’ve handed dead infants over to weeping mothers. When a nurse loses a patient she cannot go home. Rarely, is she even given down time to process the events that have happened. Why is that? Because there are rarely replacements for her and there are always more patients waiting for a bed. Waiting for someone to take care of them. Somehow, she must figure out how to maintain mental composure, when inside, her heart is broken.

The frustrations can be mind boggling. Nurses wear many hats. We can be respiratory therapists, techs, chaplains, counselors, and advocates all in one patient visit. At times, especially in pediatrics, I have to work alongside a parent that I know has purposefully injured their child and still treat them with respect.

The highs are remarkable. Helping a family through a crisis. Helping a child on the road to recovery. Giving a well child back to their family when death was almost a certainty.

Perhaps it’s easier to share the intimate side of nursing in the safety of a fiction novel because the truth can be somewhat shrouded under its guise. I don’t have to openly confess that the things I deal with every day have both lifted my spirits in unimaginable ways and yet broken me in a way that may never heal.

I hope Julia’s story touches you in the way that it did my friend. That not only will you not be able to stop turning the pages, but that you’ll also stop and consider what the nurse’s life is like—particularly the next time you interact with one. 

About Jordyn:

Jordyn Redwood is a pediatric ER nurse by day, suspense novelist by night. She hosts Redwood’s Medical Edge, a blog devoted to helping authors write medically accurate fiction. Her first two medical thrillers, Proof and Poison, garnered starred reviews from Library Journal. Proof was shortlisted for the 2012 ForeWord Review’s BOTY Award, 2013 INSPY Award and the 2013 Carol Award. Poison shortlisted for the 2014 INSPY Award and the 2014 Selah Award. In addition to her novels, she blogs regularly at Redwood’s Medical Edge and the WordServe Water Cooler. You can connect with Jordyn via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, her website and via e-mail at jredwood1@gmail.com.

Give-away!

Jordyn is generously offering one print copy of Fractured Memory to a U.S. resident. To enter, please tell us your favorite book, TV show, or movie that has a medical theme or health care professional as a main character. Be sure to include your email address when you comment so that I can contact you if you win! The winner will be chosen on Aug. 1 and notified via email. The winner will have three days to reply before I would need to select an alternate winner. Subscribers to my e-newsletter (sign up here) will be given an extra point--AND you'll receive for free The Christian Historical Fiction Travel Guide, a seven-page document full of my favorite books and the related sites you can visit! With plenty of input from other avid readers, the books on this list span four centuries of American history and reach from sea to shining sea. Just include in your comment that you are a subscriber to receive the extra entry. Good luck!

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