To Err Is Common

t's 3AM. Do you know where your nurse is? It is a sad truth that each year around 200,000 people enter American hospitals for one reason and leave on a funeral-home gurney for a completely different reason. And while there have been many TV and movie portrayals of life in a hospital, much of what really happens remains a mystery. And a lot happens! Join Andrea Pastori, R.N., a bright, attractive and gifted young woman on her rounds both in and out of the hospital, as she attempts to deal with the often tragic consequences of medical errors on patients and on those who became nurses and medical professionals to heal others but instead have ended up doing the opposite. Through her eyes, you will take a long, hard but also entertaining and involving look at modern-day nursing. You will be impressed or confounded by the complicated and sometimes maddening procedures nurses must undertake to successfully do their jobs while keeping their personal lives intact. At the same time, you will have a new understanding of how and why things can occasionally go terribly wrong. You will also have a new respect for the challenges of this noble profession and those who work in it. TO ERR IS COMMON is a 'truvel,' fiction based on actual incidents that have taken place in hospitals all over the United States. The story is told through the life and times of Andrea, a profoundly concerned and dedicated young nurse who is looking for personal and professional fulfillment in a complex, stressful, sometimes depressing but often exhilarating environment. The names, of course, have been changed, but the truth has not. Andrea's character is fictional, but the incidents she encounters in her quest to serve as a compassionate and competent nurse are real. Whether you are a nurse or just someone with an interest in American health care as practiced in hospitals, Andrea's story will entertain, enlighten and inspire you. And, very importantly, what you learn about her -- and from her -- will give you insight that may someday help you or someone you love survive a hospital stay.