CONCORD, Calif., Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Hispanic nurses have a new tool to advocate for their profession. With the book, "Mi Mama Es Una Enfermera" (ISBN: 0984238522), Healthcare Communication Specialist Candy Campbell, DNPc, RN, CNL, seeks to help show children what a rewarding profession nursing can be.
"Right now, per the 2012 Census Bureau estimates, only 3.6% of the 3 million US nurses are Hispanic, compared to 17% of the total population," Campbell states. "However, according to the U.S. 2012 Bureau of Labor, there will be an additional 580,000 jobs in nursing by 2018. We need more nurses, across the board, for sure, " adds Campbell, who holds an Assistant Professor post at University of San Francisco's School of Nursing and Health Professions.
"As a profession, Hispanic nurses are a minority. America needs more nurses, and America needs more Hispanic nurses, ASAP! Hopefully, this book takes a small step in that direction," Campbell says, "It would make a great gift to inspire children to a positive career choice of helping others as a nurse."
She envisioned the original, English version of this book while searching for a baby-shower gift for one of her colleagues. "I was looking for a picture-book about the nursing profession that was informative, fun, and maybe had a little something special on each page, kind of like the classic, "Goodnight Moon." Unfortunately, there just wasn't anything available."
Fortunately, Campbell, who also has an award-winning documentary film to her credit (Micropremature Babies: How Low Can You Go?), was used to creative challenges. "I started to complain about not being able to find such a book, when it hit me. Aha! Sounds like my next must-do project."
"Mi Mama Es Una Enfermera" is a non-fiction book for ages 0-8, where children from many cultures are introduced to some of the important and exciting work nurses do through playful text and whimsical illustrations.
"It's really cute, if I do say so," quips the author, "thanks to some wonderful artwork by Michael Vincent Fusco, who patiently put up with my nitpicking. Readers, young and not-so-young, have been very enthusiastic about it. This Spanish version was suggested by a colleague, who said it would be a gift to the community."
Curious readers can look into this delightful picture book on Amazon.com.
For more information, visit http://candycampbell.com or call 925-207-1376.
About Candy Campbell
Candy Campbell (also known as Candy the Nurse) is an author, filmmaker, actor, and speaker who specializes in healthcare communications. As a passionate proponent of maternal-child health and public health policy issues, she serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for two consumer magazines from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), and volunteers as a public health advocate through the American Nurses' Association of CA. An adjunct professor at CSU Eastbay, she also donates a portion of the proceeds of each of her books (and the film, Micropremature Babies: How Low Can You Go?) to the March of Dimes, for whom she serves as a media spokesperson in Northern CA.