I Thought I Was Here to Help: Unveiling the Healthcare System, Unleashing the Nurse Advocate Paperback – July 29, 2025

In this book for nurses, experienced clinician Maggie Runyon takes a close look at her healthcare career journey, highlighting the expectations that draw students to nursing . . . and the exhaustion and medical burnout that can drive them away. When healthcare focuses on power and not people, practitioners and patients get left behind.Maggie's path toward nursing began with a love for the show ER and a desire to help people. As she began her career, though, she realized how ill-prepared she was for the mental health challenges and administrative demands that face modern-day registered nurses.Now, she extends a compassionate call to young and early-career nurses to understand the systemic challenges facing their chosen profession. With an emphasis on the power of nurse leadership and the necessity of mindfulness and intentional self-care, she highlights how becoming an advocate for one's patients and oneself is a path toward improved health outcomes.A perfect gift for nurses, I Thought I Was Here to Help provides . . .thoughtful questions to guide and support a healthcare career path,a personal look at medical burnout,strategies for strengthening nurse mental health, anda rallying cry to transform healthcare administrations and patient outcomes.For dedicated nurses just starting their careers or trying to push through a slump, I Thought I Was Here to Help starts a gentle conversation and challenges readers to rethink the handmaiden and hero archetypes in nursing.Through vivid clinical vignettes and research-backed insights, Maggie shows nurses they are not alone in grappling with the harsh realities of their profession. This nurse memoir invites you to find more than just a cozy spot to read. It's about finding your true place in healthcare power structures and patient journeys. Read more