Awful textbook?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Specializes in Psychiatry, corrections, long-term care..

Just had orientation for my program and they announced we'll be using Pearson's Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning. They're excited about it and the way it's structured.

Reading the Amazon reviews is pretty terrifying. I'm not a bad student, can self-teach very well, and can use non-required texts to supplement required ones. But has anyone used this particular text? It was mentioned that all of North Carolina has switched over to it and I'm really curious about it and awful textbook experiences in general.

I kind of feel like a nursing career a textbook does not make but... yikes!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

It's awful!!!! The typos are horrible, the information contradicts itself and sometimes just plain wrong (like "how to teach someone to give themselves IV insulin). We paid a fortune for the books. If you do have to buy it. we ended up cutting the book (literally-with a box cutter) into chapters. it is way too big to be useful. I think our school was looking for a new book after the second year.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just because your program requires a particular book doesn't mean you can't buy others as a supplement. I strongly recommend that.

You will be buying books for the rest of your professional life-- I've been out of my basic program for mumblemumble years and I still buy a coupla books a year in my field.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

exactly! Most of my class used the Hogan books to supplement out topics so we had a reference for what was correct info. When we needed clarification for test questions, we were always told to go to our text book, even when there was conflicting or just plain wrong information. Half the time, faculty had not read the book. We had to use it b/c one of the instructors edited one of the 30+ chapters. Needless to say, all but one instructor is gone and they are looking for new curriculum.

It was very expensive too.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am in NC and my program doesn't use this book. I do know another girl who is in a different program and they use it. She never complained about her book. If you find that your book doesn't work for you there are tons of different resource material you can buy. I use my textbook and other resources to learn the material.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I hated that book. Our program used it for just my class and ended up changing because as students we hated it and the instructors weren't overly fond if it either. One suggestion: do what someone else said and rip it apart. I know it feels awful given how much you pay for it but your back will thank you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry, corrections, long-term care..

I'm half-tempted to ask the director of the program if she's read the Amazon reviews...

We have a separate med/surg text, but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for replacements for this atrocious series? It seems like a survey of nursing instead of focusing on just one specialty. Definitely buying these used if I can.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I am not sure why you would need a separate med/surg book. the book is sipposed to be all inclusive. We DID have a separate pharm book. Either way, huge waste of money

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psychiatry, corrections, long-term care..

All ofhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0781793831 the "specialty" books (med-surg, psych, etc) are ebooks included in the bundle. Naturally they're all Pearson books. A friend sent me a med-surg text, but if anyone has suggestions for solid fundamentals of nursing texts let me know!

This (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0781793831) looks promising and more of a beginning nursing book (the med-surg one I have is meant to build on fundamentals it seems). But more suggestions are welcome.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I liked the Mary Hogan series.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I really haven't liked anything that Pearson publishes. Our peds/OB book (the thing was freaking huge!) was from Pearson. It was cumbersome and didn't make a lot of sense. It was our programs first year to use it and my whole class hated it. The teacher apologized after the fact and they're going back to their old book next year.

Almost all our other textbooks have been published by Elseiver and I've LOVED them. I'm in a second degree BSN program that's about 50% online and most of our classes are primarily self-taught, so my textbooks were my lifeline--I read most of them cover to cover. I really liked Potter and Perry's Fundamentals of Nursing Practice, Lehne's Pharmacology for Nursing Care and Lewis, Dirksen and Heitkemper's Medical-Surgical Nursing. Also, most programs use Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook for teaching nursing diagnosis and care plans, but if your program doesn't this book is a MUST HAVE. I'll include the Amazon links. They're all pretty pricey, but I bet you'd be just fine with an older edition of the same book.

Fundamentals of Nursing, 8e: Patricia A. Potter RN MSN PhD FAAN, Anne Griffin Perry RN EdD FAAN, Patricia Stockert RN BSN MS PhD, Amy Hall RN BSN MS PhD CNE: 9780323079334: Amazon.com: Books

Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, 8th Edition: Sharon L. Lewis, Shannon Ruff Dirksen, Margaret McLean Heitkemper, Linda Bucher, Ian Camera: 9780323065801: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: Pharmacology for Nursing Care, 8e (9781437735826): Richard A. Lehne PhD: Books

Amazon.com: Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care, 9e (0000323071503): Betty J. Ackley, Gail B. Ladwig: Books

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I really haven't liked anything that Pearson publishes. Our peds/OB book (the thing was freaking huge!) was from Pearson. It was cumbersome and didn't make a lot of sense. It was our programs first year to use it and my whole class hated it. The teacher apologized after the fact and they're going back to their old book next year.

Almost all our other textbooks have been published by Elseiver and I've LOVED them. I'm in a second degree BSN program that's about 50% online and most of our classes are primarily self-taught, so my textbooks were my lifeline--I read most of them cover to cover. I really liked Potter and Perry's Fundamentals of Nursing Practice, Lehne's Pharmacology for Nursing Care and Lewis, Dirksen and Heitkemper's Medical-Surgical Nursing. Also, most programs use Ackley and Ladwig's Nursing Diagnosis Handbook for teaching nursing diagnosis and care plans, but if your program doesn't this book is a MUST HAVE. I'll include the Amazon links. They're all pretty pricey, but I bet you'd be just fine with an older edition of the same book.

Fundamentals of Nursing, 8e: Patricia A. Potter RN MSN PhD FAAN, Anne Griffin Perry RN EdD FAAN, Patricia Stockert RN BSN MS PhD, Amy Hall RN BSN MS PhD CNE: 9780323079334: Amazon.com: Books

Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, 8th Edition: Sharon L. Lewis, Shannon Ruff Dirksen, Margaret McLean Heitkemper, Linda Bucher, Ian Camera: 9780323065801: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: Pharmacology for Nursing Care, 8e (9781437735826): Richard A. Lehne PhD: Books

Amazon.com: Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care, 9e (0000323071503): Betty J. Ackley, Gail B. Ladwig: Books

I used the same OB/PEDS and absolutely HATED it. We have switched to Pearson books too and I don't like them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment