Fundamentals of Nursing Care: Concepts, Connections & Skills, 2 edition

Book Preface

When we decided to write a nursing textbook, we wanted it to be written to the entry-level student, not about the student We designed it so that students could truly understand what they are reading, without the need for prior nursing experi-ence or knowledge. To that end, we ensured that its readabil-ity level is comfortably accessible. We wrote it to guide the student in developing simple problem-solving skills, then progressing to critical thinking in real-world nursing. We teach students to understand and connect the what, why, and how of safe, effective care.

Themes

We believe it is important to help the student understand that, just because a book lists certain nursing diagnoses as common to a particular medical diagnosis, this does not mean that every patient with that medical diagnosis will have those common nursing diagnoses or will need the same nursing interventions. We wrote this book to help students assess patients for their individual problems and formulate personalized care plans that will be specific to each individual patient. We take the students through the steps of the nursing process as it applies to each selected patient and situation.

The book’s organization and content enable students to make their own connections without requiring an instructor’s lecture to do so. Our book incorporates these themes:

1. Making the Connection: In this text, we assist students to see that each feature connects to something the student can relate to or something important the student will need to take into consideration. Students often memorize information to only retain it in their short-term memory. The knowledge obtained with this lower level of learning is limited and difficult— sometimes impossible—to retrieve when needed. The more a student can relate information to previous learning, anatomy or physiology, certain patients, specific scenarios, clinical experiences, or “war stories” of actual nurses, the more “mind connections” are made. These associations will provide easier and improved recall. This book uses multiple areas of focus to help make these connections.

2. Thinking Like a Nurse: Our book teaches students to identify patient problems and then relate those problems to the appropriate nursing diagnosis. We help students identify what problems a patient is experiencing or may be expected to experience and relate the problems, nursing diagnoses, and interventions to changes in normal body function. Our book provides students with a solid understanding of how to problem-solve in the clinical arena, holistically view their patients’ needs, and apply a working knowledge of nursing fundamentals.

3. Personalizing Care: While listing NANDA-I diagnoses alone teaches students to categorize care, we teach students how to individualize care. We include situations that require students to think about the individual and his or her needs as opposed to a generic one-size-fits-all care plan guide. We want students to take individual patients’ preferences and requirements into consideration as they plan and deliver care, rather than caring for all patients with the same diagnosis in the same manner.

4. Utilizing Real-World Nursing: Quite often there are gaps in how to take what is in a textbook and apply it to what the student sees during clinical experience. Often, as instructors, we have found ourselves saying, “I know what your book says, but in the real world….” This book is designed to help students learn to prioritize care and manage patients who have more than one illness. We also help students think through ways care might need to be adapted or could be more easily implemented. We emphasize the need for thorough care delivered by a thinking nurse so that students are not tempted to take shortcuts.