Clinical Skills: An introduction for nursing and healthcare

Clinical Skills: an introduction for nursing and healthcare covers the essential clinical skills required by nurses. It offers an ideal introduction to clinical skills for adult nursing students, and it will also be useful for student nurses in other fields of practice, for trainee nursing associates and for other healthcare students who need to carry out clinical procedures when caring for people in a healthcare environment. Written in an engaging and accessible style, the book will help students to: develop their proficiency in carrying out the nursing procedures required to qualify as a Registered Nurse understand when and how to provide nursing intervention and support to people in their care broaden and deepen their knowledge through the use of realistic scenarios apply their knowledge in a person-centred and compassionate way reflect on their own values and learning experiences to enhance their nursing practice improve their nursing skills by using the ‘hints for practice’ and ‘alerts’ The clear, reader-friendly presentation will help students develop the underpinning knowledge and understanding of the clinical skills they will need throughout their healthcare career. “The clinical skills book is a gem, easy to follow, eye catching, and relevant to all skills modules across all years of the nursing programme.” Lecturer in Adult Nursing, School of Health, Science and Wellbeing, Staffordshire University

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Interpersonal skills 3. Infection control 4. Nursing assessment 5. Observations 6. Early warning scores – the detection of deterioration 7. Personal care 8. Specimen collection 9. Skin integrity, assessment and pressure area care 10. Moving and handling 11. Nutrition and fluid management 12. Bowel care, suppositories and enemas 13. Legal, ethical and professional aspects of medicines management 14. Administration and optimisation of medicines 15. Pain management 16. Catheterisation 17. Airway management and life support 18. Pre- and post-operative care 19. Venepuncture and cannulation 20. Blood transfusion 21. Transferring and discharging people 22. Caring for the dying person Glossary; Index

About the Author :
Originally from County Durham, Robin began his academic career at Royal Holloway College, University of London in 1984, graduating in 1987 with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Physiology and Zoology. On graduation, Robin began his nursing career at the South Lothian College of Nursing and Midwifery in Edinburgh, eventually qualifying as a Registered General Nurse. On qualification Robin worked as a Staff Nurse at the Royal Free Hospital in London in several specialties including ENT, orthopaedic/trauma and general surgery before moving to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington in 1994 to specialise in vascular surgery. In 1997 Robin became a Nurse Practitioner within the St Mary’s group of hospitals and commenced his teaching qualification at Thames Valley University – graduating with a master’s degree in Learning and Teaching in Healthcare in 2002, by which time he was working as a full time lecturer at TVU. In 2003 Robin moved to the University of Central Lancashire, in Preston, where he is currently the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health and Wellbeing. Joanne attended Bolton and Salford School of Nursing and qualified as a mental health nurse in 1995. Joanne worked in a range of mental health specialisms culminating in posts as a clinical leader and ward manager in acute services. Joanne continued her studies post qualification and gained a bachelor’s degree in nursing studies and then master’s degrees in Community and Healthcare Ethics and Healthcare Law along with a postgraduate certificate in teaching. Joanne began her academic career in 2002 lecturing at the University of Salford, then later joined the University of Central Lancashire working as Pre-registration nursing education manager and then Deputy Head of the School of Health Sciences. Joanne is currently the Associate Head of the School of Health Sciences (PGT) at the University of Liverpool.

Review :
‘This book is brilliant in so many ways… the step-by-step instructions were so useful and have really helped me to consolidate my learning. I will be recommending it to fellow students.’ Adult nursing student, University of East Anglia ‘The patient scenarios are one of my favourite aspects of the book, especially the continuity of particular case studies throughout the book. This is going to be an excellent addition to bookshelves and a fantastic reference.’ Newly Qualified Nurse, ex-Sheffield Hallam University ‘The book is excellent. It aligns extremely well to the NMC Future Nurse Proficiencies and our own Practice Assessment Documentation. I was very impressed at the way the book reviews relevant topics and breaks this down into smaller paragraphs to aid the learning. This will be added to my reading list.’ Lecturer in Adult Nursing, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Sheffield Hallam University ‘The text is well presented and accessible; it presents key information and avoids getting bogged down in details that might in any case quickly change. As a result the text would serve students for the full three years of their programme, and would hopefully provide the basis for further exploration. The focus on a few key scenarios is useful as it reflects the approach take in the delivery of skills and simulation.’ Senior Lecturer, Three Counties School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Worcester ‘I think it is excellent value for money... The text is an excellent resource for students and I like the way that the chapters take you on a journey from admission to end of life care... It is visually lovely to look at, which I feel that students will find appealing... The use of Learning Outcomes at the onset of each chapter will assist the student to focus on the context and potential applications of knowledge and skills, help them connect learning in various contexts, and help guide assessment and evaluation.’ Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Allied Health, Liverpool John Moores University ‘I enjoyed reviewing it and will add it to my reading list. I think the book is easy to read and succinct – good for those starting out in a career in health and social care. Topics and skills are presented in an easy to access format and aren’t over complicated – which I think is useful for those with limited experience.’ Lecturer, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex Good book ‘My daughters in her first year at uni training to be a nurse. She is finding this book very useful in her studies.' Amazon reviewer Amazing ‘Bigger than I expected which is GREAT. Highlights a lot of important topics and give you a lot of valuable information for your nursing journey… highly recommend.' Amazon reviewer A literal Bible for nursing students ‘Very informative, covers everything a student nurse will need. Easy to carry round with me (into class or placement) - and much more lightweight than my Marsdens manual.' Amazon reviewer