"Nurse: A World of Care," is a powerful look at nursing around the globe. Published by Emory University, with the support of Johnson & Johnson's Campaign for Nursing's Future and the Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing, it took three years to put the book together.
The idea for the book had been in Marla Salmon's head for a long time. Salmon, Sc.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, was senior editor for the project.
 Photos by BARRY WILLIAMS/Special |
| 'Nurse: A World of Care' ($29.95) was published by Emory University. |
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| Photographer Karen Kasmauski (left) and senior editor Marla Salmon worked on 'Nurse: A World of Care' for three years. Photos from the book will be on display at Emory University until July 15. |
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| Marla Salmon (right), dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, signs a copy of 'Nurse: A World of Care' at Emory University in May. |
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| 'Nursing is fundamentally about the human experience. It is motivated by the finest impulse of humanity — to care for others, even those different from ourselves.'
-MARLA SALMON
Dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University |
"This book is something I've wanted to do for decades — to convey to the rest of the world the value of nursing," she said.
Salmon sees her profession from its personal perspective.
"Nursing is fundamentally about the human experience," Salmon said. "It is motivated by the finest impulse of humanity — to care for others, even those different from ourselves. That matters to all people."
A collaboration between writer Peter Jaret and photographer Karen Kasmauski — whose work has been published extensively by National Geographic — the book is both a tribute to the profession and an urgent plea to find solutions to the world's critical shortage of nurses. The foreword was written by President Jimmy Carter.
The book weaves unforgettable images of nurses in their vital work around the globe with essays about the legacy, education, training and multiple roles that nurses play.
A retired nurse volunteers as a community outreach nurse to AIDS patients in Nairobi, Kenya. Another nurse leads exercises for the elderly in Nanto City, Japan. Public health nurses live out of backpacks and travel to remote villages to provide care to Alaskan natives.
"I can't talk about some of these photos without crying," Salmon said.
The photo of a nurse hosting a traditional coffee ceremony in Ethiopia to bring people with AIDS back into their community speaks to nursing's greater healing mission.
"The last photo — of a young nurse in a pediatric intensive care unit feeding an infant — captures the human connection that is fundamental in nursing. The eye contact between the two is remarkable," Salmon said. "It says, 'We're in this together. I'm here for you and with you. It's going to be OK. I've got your back.' "
While the book depicts the critical need for nurses and the almost insurmountable barriers they face in many nations, it also captures the pride and hope of young nursing students.
"There is so much immediate exuberance and joy about their commitment," she said. "People tell me there's something very special about this book. They see the almost spiritual connection that these nurses are making with their patients.
"When we lose nursing, humanity loses the capacity to care for itself in a unique and fundamental way. Nursing is a treasure that humankind has to protect."
Through July 15, an exhibit of photographs from the book will be displayed at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.
"Nurse: A World of Care" ($29.95) is available through the Emory School of Nursing Web site or from Amazon.com.
"No one is getting any royalties from this book," Salmon said. All proceeds from book sales will benefit international nursing education at Emory University.
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