Foundations of Nursing

A guide to the fundamentals of nursing for the LPN/LVN, Foundations of Nursing, 7th Edition covers the skills you need for clinical practice, from nursing interventions to maternity, neonatal, pediatric, geriatric, mental health, and community health care. Guidelines for patient care are presented within the framework of the five-step nursing process; Nursing Care Plans are described within a case-study format to help you develop skills in clinical decision-making. Written by Kim Cooper and Kelly Gosnell, this text includes review questions to help you prepare for the NCLEX-PN® examination!

• Full-color, step-by-step instructions for over 100 skills show nursing techniques and procedures along with rationales for each.
• The 5-step Nursing Process connects specific disorders to patient care — with a summary at the end of each chapter.
• Nursing Care Plans emphasize patient goals and outcomes within a case-study format, and promotes clinical decision-making with critical thinking questions at the end of each care plan.
• UNIQUE! Mathematics review in Dosage Calculation and Medication Administration chapter covers basic arithmetic skills prior to the discussion of medication administration.
• Student-friendly features enhance the learning of nursing skills with summary boxes for Patient Teaching, Health Promotion Considerations, Complementary and Alternative Therapy, Cultural Considerations, Older Adult Considerations, Home Care Considerations, Safety Alert, and Prioritization, Assignment, and Supervision
• A focus on preparing for the NCLEX® examination includes review questions and Get Ready for the NCLEX Examination! sections with key points organized by NCLEX Client Needs Categories.
• Evidence-Based Practice boxes provide synopses of nursing research articles and other scientific articles applicable to nursing, along with nursing implications for the LPN/LVN.
• Nursing Diagnosis boxes summarize nursing diagnoses for specific disorders along with the appropriate nursing interventions.
• Medication Therapy tables provide quick access to actions, dosages, precautions, and nursing considerations for commonly used drugs.

Unit I: Fundamentals of Nursing
1. Evolution of Nursing
2. Legal and Ethical Aspects of Nursing
3. Documentation
4. Communication
5. Nursing Process and Critical Thinking
6. Cultural and Ethnic Considerations

Unit II: Fundamentals of Clinical Practice
7. Asepsis and Infection Control
8. Body Mechanics and Patient Mobility
9. Hygiene and Care of the Patient’s Environment
10. Safety

Unit III: Introduction to Nursing Interventions 
11. Vital Signs
12. Physical Assessment
13. Admission, Transfer, and Discharge
14. Surgical Wound Care
15. Specimen Collection and Diagnostic Testing
16. Care of Patients Experiencing Urgent Alterations in Health
17. Complementary and Alternative Therapies
18. Pain Management, Comfort, Rest, and Sleep
19. Nutritional Concepts and Related Therapies
20. Fluids and Electrolytes
21. Dosage Calculation and Medication Administration
22. Care of Patients with Alterations in Health 

Unit IV: Nursing Care Across the Lifespan
23. Lifespan Development
24. Loss, Grief, Dying, and Death
25. Health Promotion and Pregnancy
26. Labor and Delivery
27. Care of the Mother and Newborn
28. Care of the High-Risk Mother, Newborn, and Family with Special Needs
29. Health Promotion for the Infant, Child, and Adolescent
30. Basic Pediatric Nursing Care
31. Care of the Child with a Physical and Mental or Cognitive Disorder
32. Health Promotion and Care of the Older Adult

Unit V: Fundamentals of Mental Health Nursing
33. Concepts of Mental Health
34. Care of the Patient with a Psychiatric Disorder
35. Care of the Patient with an Addictive Personality

Unit VI: Fundamentals of Community Health Nursing
36. Home Health Nursing
37. Long-Term Care
38. Rehabilitation Nursing
39. Hospice Care

Unit VII: Transition to Professional Nursing
40. Professional Roles and Leadership
Appendix A: Common Abbreviations
Appendix B: Laboratory Reference Values
Appendix C: Answers to Review Questions for the NCLEX® Examination