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NURS 1000 - Introduction to Nursing (OER) - 2nd Edition: Front Matter

Introduction to Second Edition

Introduction to the Second Edition 

Nursing is considered both a science and an art. As a result, it requires a specialized body of knowledge and specific technical skills to provide care for individuals in various states of wellness and illness. Nursing care takes place in many settings: Hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care, health departments, community clinics, schools, and corrections facilities – just to name a few. Nurses are constantly on the frontlines of healthcare, caring for people every day.  

Nursing has been voted the most trusted profession for the past 20 years (Saad, 2022).  The public is most aware of the caring component especially in the aftermath of the pandemic; however, another side is often overlooked – science.  Healthcare is based on a solid foundation in the natural and social sciences.  Nurses must be able to blend scientific principles from biology, psychology, and sociology with practice standards and “an insightful and compassionate approach to patient care” (Potter, et al., 2023, p.1).  A competent nurse also masters the art of nursing which encompasses emotional intelligence, empathy, and critical thinking.  

This open textbook will help students:

  • understand the scope of professional nursing roles 
  • introduce them to the vast responsibilities, fund of knowledge, and aptitudes required of modern nurses
  • master essential information about the nursing profession
  • decide whether a nursing career is a good fit
  • increase confidence prior to entering a nursing program.

Topics progress from the history of nursing to the role of the professional nurse within modern healthcare settings. Content areas include: 

  • historical and contemporary influences on modern nursing practice
  • professional identity and nurse self-care
  • legal and ethical considerations
  • evidenced-based practice, safety, and quality improvement
  • cultural considerations and the art and science of patient-centered caring
  • healthcare systems, organizations, and informatics
  • teamwork and collaboration
  • educational preparation and licensure requirements

Subject matter is supported by evidence-based nursing research, professional standards, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competencies (QSEN, 2022), online resources, and nursing textbooks. The authors are grateful that the first edition was awarded the 2022 Merlot Health Sciences Classic and trust that this edition will continue to help students become confident in their understanding of the nursing profession. 

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Influences on Contemporary Nursing Practice

Historical Influences on Nursing Practice

  1. Florence Nightingale
  2. Clara Barton
  3. Lavinia Dock
  4. Lillian Wald
  5. Isabel Hampton Robb
  6. Mary Mahoney
  7. Mary Adelaide Nutting
  8. Mildred Montag
  9. Other pioneers
  1.  

Contemporary Influences on Nursing Practice

  1. Healthcare laws and policies
  2. Health disparity and vulnerable populations
  3. Rising health care costs
  4. Supply and demand of nurses

Theoretical Influences on Nursing Practice

  1. How nursing theories guide practice
  2. Historical and modern nursing theorists

Chapter Two: Professional Identity and Nurse Self-Care

Professional Identity within the Nursing Profession

  1. Definitions and scope of practice
  2. Characteristics of professional identity
  3. Professional identity development
    1. Benner’s professional development model
  4. Context within healthcare
  5. Exemplars 
    1. Integrity
    2. Caring
    3. Advocacy

Nurse Self-Care

  1. Importance of
  2. Exemplars
    1. Compassion fatigue
    2. Secondary traumatic stress
    3. Burnout
    4. Resilience

Chapter Three: Legal and Ethical Considerations

Legal Considerations

  1. Definition and scope
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
    1. Patient rights
    2. Professional nursing responsibilities and patient advocacy
  3. Exemplars
    1. Negligence & malpractice
    2. Standards of care
    3. Breach of duty and abandonment

Ethical Considerations

  1. Definitions and Scope
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
  3. Ethical principles 
  4. Ethical theory
  5. Ethical issues
  6. Exemplars
    1. Confidentiality
    2. Advanced Directives

Chapter Four: Evidence-Based Practice, Safety, and Quality Improvement

Evidence-Based Practice 

  1. Definitions and scope & levels of research
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
  3. Exemplars
    1. Case study application of evidence

Safety

  1. Definitions and scope 
    1. Levels of errors
    2. Types of errors
    3. Placement of errors
    4. Root cause
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
    1. Culture of safety
  3. Exemplars
    1. Case study application of safety

Quality Improvement

  1. Definitions and scope
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
    1. Quality improvement processes
    2. Health information technology support
    3. Regulatory agencies
  3. Exemplars
    1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
    2. The Joint Commission
    3. The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality

Chapter Five: Cultural Considerations and the Art and Science of Patient-Centered Caring 

Cultural Considerations

  1. Definitions and scope
    1. Enculturation
    2. Acculturation
    3. Assimilation
    4. Biculturalism
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
    1. Culture is learned
    2. Culture can change and adapt
    3. Shared beliefs, values, and behaviors
    4. Cultural considerations for nurse-patient encounters
    5. Cultural Competencies
      1. Desire
      2. Self-awareness
      3. Knowledge and encounters          
      4. Skill 
  3. Exemplars
    1. Nonverbal communication and family roles
    2. Cultural taboos and health beliefs

The Art and Science of Patient-Centered Caring

  1. Definitions and scope
    1. Caring theories 
    2. Care of the patient
    3. Care of the caregiver
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
    1. Caring Skills (Presence, touch, listening)
    2. Professional boundaries
    3. Environmental Factors
  3. Exemplar
    1. A simple caring moment
    2. Professional boundary issues
    3. Care of the caregiver

Chapter Six: Healthcare Systems, Organizations, and Informatics

Healthcare Systems and Organizations 

  1. Definitions and scope
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare

  1. Purpose and service domains
  2. Structure, finance, and work culture
  3. External factors and ongoing change

       iii.  Exemplars

  1. Hospitals and nursing homes 
  2. Homecare and hospice agencies
  3. Global and local faith-based organizations

Chapter Seven: Collaboration and Teamwork

Collaboration

  1. Definitions and scope
    1. Nurse-patient collaboration
    2. Nurse-nurse (intra-professional) collaboration 
    3. Nurse-interprofessional team collaboration
    4. Nurse-organizational collaboration
    5. Nurse-community collaboration
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
    1. Values/ethics
    2. Roles/responsibilities
    3. Communication
    4. Teamwork/team-based practice
  3. Exemplars
    1. TeamSTEPPS
    2. PACERS

Teamwork

  1. Definition and scope 
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context in healthcare
    1. Delegation
    2. Civility in the workplace
  3. Exemplars
    1. Mentoring
    2. Interprofessional education

Chapter Eight: Educational Preparation, Licensure and Certification Requirements, and Professional Organizations

Educational Preparation

  1. Definitions and scopes of practice
  2. Attributes, criteria, and context
    1. Becoming a successful student nurse
    2. Becoming a successful registered nurse
    3. Advancing education and career opportunities
  3. Continuing education requirements
  4. Nurse practice acts
  5. Exemplars
    1. Diploma nurses
    2. ASN nurses
    3. BSN nurses
    4. MSN nurse specialists
    5. Doctoral prepared nurses

Licensure and Certification Requirements

  1. Licensure for registered nurses
  2. Licensure for advanced practice nurses
  3. Certifications for nurse specialists
  4. Exemplars
    1. NCLEX & NCSBN
    2. Specialty Certifications

Professional Organizations

  1. Student nurse organizations
  2. American Nurses Association and state associations
  3. Specialty organizations

 

 

Dedication

Dedication

To our students who are the future of nursing. May you thrive in your work, learn from patients every day, and have a long and satisfying career.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Lisa Jellum, Dean of Health Sciences at Georgia Highlands College (GHC) for her passion for high-quality education and open resources. She is a champion for students and faculty.  

Julius Fleschner, Dean of Libraries & Testing at GHC for his work on the first edition of this open resource. He facilitated resource retrieval and ensured the content was publishable online. His upbeat charm and great ideas made this project enjoyable and sustainable.

The team is grateful that the first edition was awarded the 2022 Health Sciences Classic award by Merlot. We thank Dr. Michelle Boyce for her vision and guidance for supporting the first edition.

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