Unit 1 The Nursing Profession In Today's Health-Care Environment 1

1 Historical Perspective and Current Trends 1

Professionalism 2

The Beginning of Nursing 2

Dark Ages and Introduction of Christianity 3

Renaissance Period 4

Era of Industrialization 4

Early Health Care in the United States 4

The Beginning of Modern Nursing 4

History of the Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurse 8

Current Trends and Issues 10

2 Caring as a Personal and Professional Behavior 17

What Is Caring? 18

Applying Caring Theory in Your Personal Life 21

Understanding Nursing Models 22

Applying Caring Theory in Your Professional Life 23

Setting Priorities Using Transpersonal Caring 25

Caring for Family and Significant Others 26

Caring Includes Everyone 27

Personal Motivation 27

3 Understanding the Changing Roles in Nursing 32

Paradigm Thinking Defined 33

Critical Thinking Concepts 36

Theoretical Frameworks for Management 38

Basic Principle of Patient Advocacy 40

4 Health-Care Environment 48

Health-Care Systems 49

Roles and Tasks of the Licensed Practical Nurse in the Health-Care System 52

Health-Care Agencies 54

5 Nursing and Informatics 60

Looking at the Past 61

Looking at Today 62

Nursing Informatics 63

Looking Forward 71

Unit 2 From Student to Nurse 74

6 Fulfill Your Role as a Student 74

Knowing Yourself and Understanding Nurses' Ways of Knowing 75

Learning in the Classroom 76

You as a Student in the Clinical Area 78

Communication in the Clinical Setting 79

Successful Study Strategies 80

Understanding Test Questions 83

Managing Test Anxiety 85

Writing Successful Papers 86

Conclusion 88

7 The Importance of Critical Thinking 91

What Is Critical Thinking? 92

Thorough Thinking 93

Thorough or Critical Thinking as Applied to Science 93

Thorough or Critical Thinking as Applied to Nursing 94

Creative Thinking 94

Critical Thinking 97

8 Entry Into-Practice 103

Nurse Practice Act 104

Finding the Perfect Job 106

Mentoring 108

Other Strategies 111

9 Employment Process 118

Employer Expectations 119

Application Process 120

Preparing for the Interview 121

Letter of Resignation 125

10 Leadership and Management as a Professional Concept 128

Leadership Versus Management 129

Historical Overview of Nursing Leadership and Management Roles 132

Where Is the Licensed Practical Nurse in This Historical Picture? 133

Leadership Styles 133

What Type of Leader Are You? 137

The Successful Nurse Leader 141

11 Communication Skills in Leadership and Management 144

Styles of Communication 145

Failed Communication 148

Communication in the Clinical Setting 150

Types of Communication 152

Other Forms of Communication 154

12 Understanding the Benefits of Change 158

What Is Change? 159

Effective Decision Making During the Change Process 160

Kurt Lewin's Change Theory 161

Role of the Licensed Practical Nurse as Change Agent 164

Transitions 166

Final Thoughts 171

13 Setting Meaningful Priorities 175

Setting Personal Priorities 176

Setting Priorities 177

Need for Priority Setting 179

It Starts With the Ability to Make Good Decisions 180

14 Handling Conflict in the Nursing Profession 185

Types of Conflict 186

Resolving Conflict 190

Conflict Resolution 191

15 Dealing With Chaos 196

Understanding the Changes 197

Understanding Newtonian Physics or the Scientific Age 198

Understanding Quantum Physics or the New Science 199

Chaos Theory 200

Are You Ready? 202

16 Ethics and Law in Nursing Management 206

Personal Values 207

Understanding Ethics 208

Legal Issues 213

Nurse Practice Act 214

Understanding the Law 215

Legal Issues Specific to Nursing 216

Safeguards 223

17 Understanding Use of Power 226

What Is Power? 227

Types of Power 228

Positive and Negative Uses of Power 231

Empowerment 233

Powerlessness 236

18 Motivating Employees 240

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Revisited 241

Oppressed Group Behavior 243

Theories of Motivation 244

Creating a Motivating Environment 248

19 Team Building 253

Understanding Characteristics of a Team 254

Stages of Team Development 257

Group Norms 259

Understanding the Value of Team Concepts 260

20 Delegating, Coaching, and Evaluating Performance 262

Leader, Manager, or Both 263

Delegation and Making Assignments 264

Sharing Information With Staff Members 268

Coaching 269

Evaluating Performance 274

Hiring and Managing a Diverse Workforce 276

Glossary 282

Index 286