Nursing in Today’s World: Trends, Issues, and Management 11th Edition

Book Preface

Nursing in Today’s World: Trends, Issues, and Management, 11th edition, focuses on the nonclinical aspects of the professional nursing role. Much of this content is just as critical to practicing safely as is competence in the performance of clinical skills. As nursing steps up to play a major role in the changes brought about by healthcare reform, knowledge of the profession and its place in the healthcare environment has never been more important.
We keep the content of this textbook current by revising and updating each chapter with the latest information on the delivery of care, the structure of the healthcare milieu, roles performed by the variously prepared caregivers, the impact of technology, and the changing financial picture. Additionally, we make every effort to be responsive to suggestions provided by our readers and reviewers. Thus, the 11th edition provides information to help the reader understand the changes that are occurring in healthcare and suggestions for moving from the role of the student into that of a contributing professional in today’s healthcare setting. The nursing profession is our focus, and bringing you this content in a concise, readable format is our goal.
ORGANIZATION
This textbook is organized into three major units of study. We provide a flexible approach to instruction, and each chapter is written to stand alone, with frequent cross-referencing throughout. Content may be reordered if so desired. For example, instructors who prefer to skip the historical development of nursing as a profession and move directly to leadership and management are encouraged to adapt the book to match this preference. One possibility is first to present the content in Unit III (Accepting Greater Responsibility for Nursing Practice), which focuses on the nurses’ role in working with others in the management of care. Another approach would be to begin with Unit II (Understanding Healthcare in Today’s Society) and present information about the healthcare environment, its financing, and its legal and ethical aspects. Similarly, some content areas might be combined or perhaps eliminated if they appear elsewhere in the curriculum of your program.
Unit I: Moving Into the Profession of Nursing
Chapters 1 to 5 focus on nursing itself-its development as a profession, the various educational avenues available to licensure, employment, organizational structures of healthcare environments, and delivery of healthcare.

• Chapter 1 covers the development of the profession and the challenges to its professional standing, helping prepare students to participate in the nonclinical activities and discussions that are part of nursing.
• The diverse educational paths that prepare graduates for registered nurse licensure are discussed in Chapter 2, including the controversy over which form of educational preparation is most appropriate for entry into practice, the implementation of differentiated practice, and whether continuing education should be mandatory or voluntary.
• Chapter 3 delves into the credentialing of nurses with a discussion of the history of licensing in the United States, explains the process of obtaining and retaining a license, and speculates on the future of licensure in the United States.
• Chapter 4 discusses current employment opportunities, employer expectations of new graduates, and steps to be taken to realize career goals.
• Chapter 5 presents information about organizational structures, especially those that provide healthcare, as well as patterns of care delivery and collective bargaining.

Unit II: Understanding Healthcare in Today’s Society
This unit includes information on healthcare settings, legal and ethical implications of nursing care, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses ( QSEN), and prevention of medication errors.

• Chapter 6 begins this unit with a description of the various healthcare facilities that provide care to individuals and their families and the evaluation and accreditation of those facilities. Methods and sources of funding for that care and how power is distributed within the system are explained.
• Chapter 7 deals with the legal responsibilities for practice and includes legal issues common in nursing, malpractice, and the role of the nurse as a witness.
• Chapter 8 provides a foundation for ethical decision-making, including a broad discussion of ethical issues that affect nursing and nursing practice with a special focus on bioethics.
• Reports released by the Institute of Medicine on errors that have resulted in death or increased hospitalization and cost to clients have highlighted the need for greater safety in the delivery of care. Chapter 9 presents common errors and the necessary steps to reduce their occurrence.
• Chapter 10 ends the unit with a discussion of community-based nursing and the nurse’s role in that environment. Health promotion and disease prevention are included with a discussion of Healthy People 2020 and alternative and complementary approaches to healthcare.

Unit III: Accepting Greater Responsibility for Nursing Practice
The book concludes with Unit III, five chapters devoted to the nurses’ professional role in the various aspects of healthcare.

• Chapter 11 provides a basis for understanding leadership and management and the importance of communication in the process of directing the activities of others. Concepts of power, time management, and performance evaluation are also included.
• Chapter 12 is devoted to management skills: team building, coaching, motivating others, delegating, leading change, and managing conflict.

• It is followed by Chapter 13 with a discussion of the challenges found in today’s workplace: reality shock, burnout, and workplace safety for nurses.
• Chapter 14 addresses the nurse and the political process and concludes with a description of the various nursing organizations.
• Chapter 15 looks to the future of nursing, nursing research, and evidence­based practice. Information technology in healthcare is discussed.