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Kristy Polden spent years as a nurse, and in this brutally honest, darkly funny, and deeply confessional memoir, she throws open the hospital doors and drags you inside. No sugarcoating, no hero worship, just the raw truth. She doesn’t tidy up the blood or hide the ghosts that linger long after the charting is done. Instead, she invites you to stand beside her through the chaos, the heartbreak, and the absurdity that is modern nursing, where coffee is cold, call lights are constant, and “just one more thing” means you’re not leaving for another three hours.

She cut her teeth as a bedside med/surg nurse, sprinting down hallways on med/surg with bed alarms that went off like whack-a-moles, learning the delicate art of holding in pee for twelve hours, and delivering straight-faced answers to questions like, “Can I smoke while I’m on oxygen?” She worked as a chemotherapy nurse, where she became an expert in both central line care and the poker face required when patients compared side effects in a way that would make most people push away their dinner plates.

In recent years, Kristy has worked as a public health nurse, which means she now chases diseases instead of patients. She has led outbreak investigations that sound glamorous until you realize they involve chasing down stool samples in nursing homes. She has politely explained to adults (multiple times) that, yes, you should still wash your hands even if they “look clean.”

When she’s not corralling viruses or writing about the ghosts of patients past, Kristy is home with her amazing family, who graciously lets her test-drive her stories at the dinner table. She also has in-laws, but that section of the book may or may not be redacted for Christmas gift reasons.

Kristy’s voice is equal parts relentless humor and raw confession; think Florence Nightingale meets a stand-up comic with questionable boundaries. She’s here to tell you what nursing really looks like when the curtains are pulled back: the moments that break you, the ones that keep you coming back, and the hospital ghosts that follow you home whether you like it or not.

Kristy Polden has been teaching nursing at a technical college since 2019, which means she’s spent years explaining to students why “just Google it” is not an acceptable care plan. Before that, she earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire because she is good at wasting her money. 

Kristy writes the way she teaches, straight from the gut, equal parts heart and humor. Her storytelling is shaped by life as a bedside nurse, educator, wife, mother of two kids, owner of two dogs and a hamster, and a runner who knows a thing or two about endurance.

Kristy can be found reading novels, training for her next race, or roasting her husband and kids with one-liners. She believes in God and country, kindness and chuckwagons.

Are you a nurse with a heartwarming, hilarious, embarrassing, or inspiring story to tell? Have you experienced a moment on the job that made you laugh until you cried, restored your faith in humanity, or reminded you why you chose this incredible profession? Do you have something you wish you would have known as a new nurse? Any tips or advice for nursing newbies? Tell me about a time you were called in to talk to leadership for the dumbest reasons. Tell me how you have been treated.

I’m collecting real-life nursing stories for a special book; a tribute to the moments that make this job unforgettable. Whether it’s an unexpected patient encounter, a shocking foreign object in rectum story, a shift that changed your perspective, or a lesson you’ll never forget, I’d love to hear it!

Your story could inspire, entertain, shock, and touch the hearts of readers everywhere. Plus, you’ll be part of a book that celebrates the humor, resilience, and humanity of nursing.

Submit your stories of nurse life:
Send your true nursing story (short and sweet is best!) to: AuthorKristyPolden@gmail.com or drop us a comment in the box below.

This will be compiled into an anthology of nurse stories.

Feel free to use a pen name if you prefer. Indicate “Anonymous” if you wish.