In an effort to show the sometimes hidden side of nursing, a UW-Eau Claire associate professor of nursing recently published a new book, “The HeART of Nursing: Expressions of Creative Art in Nursing.”

“It’s basically a collection of extraordinary stories about the essence of nursing,” said M. Cecilia Wendler, the book’s author.

The book is a collection of original stories, poems, essays, paintings, photographs and needlework from 61 nurses about nursing. It was published by Center Nursing Publishing of Sigma Theta Tau International.

Wendler, who regularly asks her master’s-level nursing students to produce works of original art, said she believes art and the humanities can help deepen and enrich the nursing practice in many ways.

Art, she said, can help nurses momentarily free themselves from their scientific, clinical orientation and better define and express what attracts them to the challenging profession. Writing a poem or essay may bring some peace and closure to a nurse who lost a young patient.

This idea holds true for Joan Stehle Werner, professor of nursing in the adult health department. Werner contributed a personal story to the book about how she recovered from her father’s death. She said contributing her piece helped her heal. It also is something she shares with her students.

“I think we need more books that show how people in caring professions are able to really communicate what it means to care for other people,” Werner said.

A number of other Eau Claire faculty, graduate students and alumni also contributed to the book, including assistant professor of nursing Rita Sperstad, nursing graduate students Sandra Lynch and Linda Jerzak and nursing alumni Leah Luedtke and Heather Nelson.

Gene Leisz, senior artist in the Center for Instructional Technology Improvement and Innovation, illustrated one of Wendler’s essays.

“I’m really excited that it’s doing so well,” Wendler said, “because it tells a very important story that is sometimes hidden about nurses and what they really do.”

Werner also complimented the book saying it is much received in the nursing community.

“It’s an extremely powerful book,” Wendler said. “I’ve been getting letters and e-mails from all over the world, so that’s really fun.”

She also has two of her own pieces in the book. One part is about an experience she had with a patient in critical care. The other discusses a time when her son went through a difficult time.

“It tells how important humanities is in nursing,” Wendler said. “To tell and guide us to do the right thing at the right moment.”

Her experiences with patients and parents helped her when her son suffered a terrible loss.

“Being a good nurse has made me a much better mom,” she said.

Publishers have asked Wendler to do a second edition of the book, which is in the planning stages.