Nursing Assistant, The, 6th edition

Published by Pearson (February 15, 2019) © 2020
  • JoLynn Pulliam
  • Meg Holloway

Title overview

For nursing assistant courses, especially those covering hospital and long-term care environments.

A step-by-step guide to whole-patient care, for the novice nursing assistant

The Nursing Assistant fulfills the need for a brief, practical guide to nursing assistance in acute, subacute or long-term care settings. Following the models of the nursing process, state curricula and OBRA mandates, the text incorporates 73 step-by-step procedures reflecting the tasks nursing assistants most commonly perform.

The 6th Edition reflects the latest CDC, OSHA and HIPAA guidelines. It expands discussion of patient-care goals and cultural awareness. The new edition also adds new person-centered case studies throughout.

Hallmark features of this title

Step-by-step skills training

  • Rationales for all 73 step-by-step procedures provide the “why” behind patient-care actions.
  • A Nursing Process: Report to the RN feature throughout chapters reinforces the importance of reporting observations and concerns to the supervising RN.
  • Age-specific considerations meet Joint Commission requirements. They address the physical, mental and psychosocial needs of patients at all stages of life.

Practical student resources

  • Charting examples help students prepare effective documentation.
  • Study resources at the end of each chapter include a summary, case study, multiple-choice questions, and practical suggestions for communication, teamwork and managing resources.

New and updated features of this title

Engaging case studies and visuals

  • EXPANDED: Critical-thinking case studies challenge students to apply clinical reasoning to realistic scenarios. In this edition, person-centered case studies have been added throughout the text.
  • UPDATED: Numerous illustrations, including photos, drawings and reproduced forms, demonstrate key ideas and clarify the techniques described in the procedures.
  • UPDATED: Graphic and image placement enhances the flow of text, making information accessible and appealing to visual learners.

Updates to essential knowledge and skills

  • UPDATED: Patient care goals focus on promoting the dignity, independence, wellness and mobility of patients and on avoiding restraints.
  • EXPANDED: Cultural awareness is further emphasized through frequent reminders to integrate patients' cultural needs into care plans.
  • UPDATED: Information on recording noncomputerized information has been updated for this edition.

Table of contents

PART 1: THE ROLE OF THE NURSING ASSISTANT
1. Introduction to Health Care
2. The Nursing Assistant
3. Communication and Interpersonal Skills
4. Relating to Your Patients

PART 2: SAFETY FOR THE PATIENT AND THE NURSING ASSISTANT
5. Infection Control
6. Environmental Safety, Accident Prevention, and Disaster Plans
7. Emergency Situations

PART 3: BASIC NURSING SKILLS
8. Body Systems and Common Diseases
9. Vital Signs
10. Positioning, Moving, and Ambulation
11. Admission, Transfer, and Discharge

PART 4: PROVIDING PERSONAL CARE AND COMFORT TO THE PATIENT
12. The Patient's Environment
13. Hygiene and Grooming
14. Special Skin Care
15. Nutrition
16. Elimination Needs
17. Specimen Collection and Testing
18. AM and PM Care
19. Restorative Care and Rehabilitation

PART 5: SPECIALIZED CARE PROCEDURES
20. Additional Patient Care Procedures
21. Preoperative and Postoperative Care
22. Subacute Care
23. Special Skills in Long-Term Care
24. Death and Dying

Author bios

About our authors

JoLynn Pulliam, RN, MS, NHS, has over 40 years of experience in health care. During that time, she has held positions in clinical practice, hospital administration and nursing management. She also served for several years as assistant to the corporate director of nursing at the corporate offices of the Sisters of Mercy Health Corporation, a multi-hospital system based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Early in her career, she taught maternity nursing and fundamentals of nursing classes in the baccalaureate nursing program at Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan. Her work has been published in the Journal of Nursing Administration. As a health-care consultant for risk management and quality improvement, she traveled nationally.

She has both authored and contributed to the publication of texts and workbooks for nursing assistants, functioned as a nursing education specialist for registered nurses and nursing assistants, worked full time as RN staff nurse on the Orthopedic Surgery Unit, and worked full time as nursing shift administrator at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan. JoLynn was also employed at St. Mary Mercy Hospital, a member of St. Joseph Mercy Health System, located in Livonia, Michigan, from 1998 to 2012. During the last seven years she was at St. Mary Mercy Hospital, she chose to work in the role she always enjoyed the most, staff nurse caring for patients on the Medical Cardiology Telemetry Unit. Because JoLynn also loved teaching, she also served concurrently as part-time adjunct clinical instructor for medical surgical undergraduate students at Madonna University. JoLynn relocated to Texas in late 2012. Her most recent employment was full-time nursing instructor at the University of Incarnate Word (UIW), in San Antonio. She continues to write textbooks for nurse assistant education, which she began in 1996.

Meg Holloway entered the health care profession 30 years ago, starting her career as a nursing assistant. Working in long-term care and hospital settings was a tremendous foundation for her future professional nursing practice and opened her eyes to the privilege of providing hands-on, person-centered care. She has worked as an RN and then as an APRN in numerous clinical settings, from university hospital to county health department, and has cared for patients of all ages, from infants to the elderly. Her nursing practice has focused on women's health, pediatrics, oncology and community health. Central to her professional work is the belief that education has the power to transform lives.

Meg has taught community health education and support classes, mentored new health care providers, developed staff volunteer training programs, and served as an instructor in high school and college health science classrooms. She has also worked as a contributing author and expert reviewer for medical terminology textbooks, developed career and technical training resources for health care students, and authored health science guidelines at the state level. She launched the Certified Nursing Assistant Program for Blue Valley CAPS, an innovative high school in Overland Park, Kansas, connecting students with authentic, professional learning, and she currently serves as lead instructor. Her passion is to educate and empower the next generation of health care providers to practice with excellence and profound compassion. Connect with her on LinkedIn®: meghollowayaprn.

Loading...Loading...Loading...