This chapter examines concepts in nursing, and explains delegation, including a student survey research project, prioritization, leadership styles, team management, and supporting research. It describes personal protective equipment (PPE) and palliative care. Nursing students must learn how to delegate. Delegation involves giving another person the authority to be responsible for completion of a task. The licensed practical nurse or licensed vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) can perform wound care, suctioning, urinary catheter care, and blood glucose readings. The nursing student can perform simple concepts such as patient coughing and deep-breathing exercises, simple assessments, and administer oral medications under the instructor’s supervision. The nursing student must review certain terminology in order to engage in a decision-making process that provides optimal nursing care. Leadership, or the ability to lead, must be developed at every level of nursing. Palliative care is the umbrella concept that includes both comfort care and hospice care.

This chapter examines preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative nursing responsibilities. Students will be introduced to the nursing responsibilities associated with preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative patient care. Nurses in the surgical field assess, plan, and implement nursing care for patients before, during, and after surgery. The nurse must properly assess the patient’s physical and emotional well-being throughout this entire process. Nurses must also maintain a sterile and safe surgical environment and provide pre- and postoperative patient education. The nursing process for preoperative patients is derived from the needs of the entire surgical nursing process. Nursing interventions are based on the surgical patient’s current health status and the surgical intervention to be performed. Postoperative patients may require a transfusion. Transfusions may include one of the following: packed red blood cells (PRBC), red blood cells (RBC), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), platelets (PLTS), albumin, or factor VII.

This chapter describes the cardiac system, examines physiological and systematic assessment, and explores review of electrocardiogram (EKG) wave forms. Week 8 introduces the students to the cardiac system. Students will be given the opportunity to review causes of cardiac diseases or problems. Along with heart sounds, students should learn the various parameters for hypertension (HTN), murmurs, and edema. Pass out the cardiac wave form exercise and heart sounds exercise material to the students and instruct them to complete the forms as instructed on each individual form. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the insufficient ability of the heart to pump effectively. A pacemaker is indicated when failure of the natural cardiac conduction system is diagnosed. The nursing profession has assumed that experience in actual clinical settings is the “gold standard” for students to learn how to assimilate nursing care.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of death due to a respiratory cause. Development of this disease occurs as the result of cigarette smoking and exposure to environmental pollution. In addition, the normal physiologic changes due to the aging process place individuals at an increased risk for the development of complications, such as cor pulmonale and pneumonia. In order to reduce the risk of developing the complications of COPD, smoking cessation is recommended. Pharmacologic modalities focus on improving ventilation, reducing inflammation, and preventing complications. Nonpharmacologic interventions including exercise, rest, and improved nutrition can be valuable complementary therapies in the care of patients with COPD. To provide palliative care for patients at every stage of COPD, from diagnosis to the end of life, the nurse needs to acquire the knowledge and skills for expert nursing care.

This chapter examines transitioning from school into the health care profession and career goals and professional identity. It also reviews guides for students for the job application process and discusses midterm and final evaluation tool and criteria. Students are expected to sign, date, and return their evaluations to the clinical instructor by the beginning of postconference. Evaluations are based on observation, participation, and attendance. Final grades are based on assignments and on the ability to meet the requirements of the clinical class, as stated in the course syllabus. Novice nurses must learn to form a professional identity. Professional identity is the nurse’s own self-concept. The nurse must learn how to perform in the role of the nurse, be knowledgeable, hone didactic skills, and demonstrate professional standards while meeting the professional code of ethics and conduct. New nurses are oriented to their new role of caregiver by a preceptor.

This chapter examines performing effective student evaluations, evaluating a student’s strengths and weaknesses, documenting student progress, and coaching strategies and interventions. As the instructor, it is their fundamental responsibility to provide daily assessments on their students’ progress. Verbal feedback must be given immediately and often. Sample action verbs will help to describe the students’ actions while in the clinical setting. Students must be able to list nursing diagnoses in order of priority, discuss nursing interventions and rationales, and perform nursing care safely and professionally. The chapter presents a brief list that can be incorporated into the instructor’s assessment of the students. The list includes communication, helping, strengths, and teaching. Clinical instructors may refer any student who needs additional clinical practice to the on-campus clinical laboratory. The laboratory coordinator will provide activities to correct and improve student performance.

This chapter focuses on ethical issues in nursing care for patients approaching death. It presents a case study of a 78-year-old woman who has end-stage dementia. Ethics and morals are frequently used interchangeably in nursing ethics to refer to conduct, character, and motivations involved in moral acts, although distinctions are sometimes made between these terms. The chapter includes resources to assist the nurse in managing ethical concerns or dilemmas effectively. Moral theories are methods of determining what counts when a decision must be made, and to offer a method for weighing or ranking considerations identified as morally relevant to that decision. There are two major approaches to theoretical considerations—deontological and teleological systems of ethics. The chapter explores issues of patient autonomy and decisions about end-of-life interventions that range from instances of allowing or permitting death to hastening or intentionally causing death, and how these decisions are understood by nurses.

This chapter provides an overview of concepts that will explain both organizational and systems leadership. This knowledge helps the reader to enhance their current leadership and communication skills to more effectively provide high-quality nursing care. Describing the organizational culture and design in an organization will enable the reader to be an active, engaged member of the healthcare team. This engagement will encourage them to participate in patient safety and quality care initiatives aligned with organizational goals. The chapter discusses key concepts of an organization's professional practice model, shared governance model, and participation in strategic agenda planning that supports nursing clinical practice. These concepts support the registered nurse in gaining knowledge to promote and participate in a shared governance model. The shared governance model is often used as a strategy for healthcare organizations to ensure higher retention reorganizational test of registered nurses, increased job satisfaction, and empowerment of frontline nurses.

Nurses have many opportunities to interact with patients while engaged in the interpersonal relationship for delivering psychiatric-mental health nursing care. It is inevitable that many of these interactions will occur during moments of crisis. Crisis in mental health may range from violent out-of-control behavior to withdrawal and suicidal ideation, affecting individuals, families, communities, and the world. Nurses have the ability and moral obligation to prepare for and respond to these critical moments of human need. With knowledge in crisis intervention, nurses are thus empowered to make a difference during these pivotal moments. This chapter briefly reviews the stress response and how it relates to crisis. It discusses the characteristics and types of crises and the factors that can affect an individual’s response to a crisis. Integrating the interpersonal relationship and therapeutic use of self, the nurse’s role in crisis intervention is explored by applying the nursing process.

This chapter addresses the topic of case management and the role of the case manager in psychiatric-mental health nursing practice. Case manager roles typically include advocate, consultant, educator, liaison, facilitator, mentor, and researcher. The chapter provides a definition for case management and traces the historical evolution of psychiatric case management. It reviews the key psychiatric case management models and the goals, principles, and skills involved in the case management process. The case management process involves the following functions: assessment, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation. Case management is associated with the reduction of symptoms as well as a decrease in hospitalization. The chapter integrates the interpersonal process with case management and describes the roles of the psychiatric-mental health nurse (PMHN) case manager. It finally provides a description of how case management relates to quality of care.