REVIEW OF ON CALL: A NURSE’S NOTES ON GROWTH AND LEARNING

On Call is a moving narrative based on the author’s experiences as a school nurse in a sleepy town south of Albuquerque, in New Mexico. With names disguised, she recounts her day to day work in three schools, ranging from elementary to middle school. While she admits that the life of a school nurse is less than glamorous, she celebrates small victories that often do not become apparent until time has passed. Written with humor and pathos, the story merges into a compelling memoir.

Readers will be captivated by children’s battles to survive difficult medical conditions, poverty, and dysfunctional families. Carolyn Parnall Fink dispenses bandages for bruises, hugs for broken hearts, and tough love when necessary for manipulative students. Aside from the children’s stories, anyone familiar with the craziness of public education today will resonate with the pictures of dedicated faculty and staff enduring the pain of overcrowding, inadequate facilities, and administrative edicts.

Through it all, despite discouragements, Fink maintains faith in the worth of her work, thereby giving hope to those who join th helping professions. Full of memorable characters and actual events from the students’ lives, this book is a truly satisfying read.

-- Nancy Roeder

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