The 10 chapters in this book explore current critical issues related to the politics, funding, academy, and practice of the nursing profession, particularly in North America and Australia. Contributors explore such topics as the benefits of and the administrative challenges faced by knowledge-based nursing, the importance of relationships in nursing practice, moral integrity and regret in nursing, the disappearance of surgical patient recovery time, the challenge of reconciling ideals of holistic care with the true hospital environment, and the current state of nursing staffing. A central theme among the essays is that the reputation of the nurse as an angelic caregiver trivializes the expertise and demands required for the work, and oversimplifies the profession in the eyes of non-nurses who make policies that affect it. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)