Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Atul Gawande · first published 2014 · ISBN 9781250076229
A surgeon explores why modern medicine often fails patients at the end of life, and how healthcare providers can shift from prolonging existence to honoring what matters to the person. Through stories of his own family and patients, Gawande shows how clinicians trained to fight death must learn to ask different questions: What trade-offs is the patient willing to make? What gives their life meaning?
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Nursing students often focus on acute care and recovery, but you'll care for dying patients too. This book rewires how you think about your role in those moments, from someone tasked with keeping people alive to someone who can help them live well with the time they have left. It's essential preparation for conversations you'll have throughout your career.