GOOD NURSING diagnosis books & study guides.

arciedee · May 6, 2008

We used Cox's Clinical Application of Nursing Diagnosis. I used it in med-surg and psych clinicals and found it to be helpful.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · May 6, 2008

you will be taking "chronic" what?

ms. carpenito's books are excellent. she is an expert on nursing diagnosis. she has been a member of nanda and involved in the evolution of nursing diagnoses for well over 25 years. no one knows more about them than she does with the exception of, perhaps, marjorie gordon (as in gordon's 11 functional health needs). i recommend that before you start your next semester that you hunker down and read the information in the beginning section of ms. carpenito's book.

a nursing diagnosis book that many students like is nursing diagnosis handbook: a guide to planning care by betty j. ackley and gail b. ladwig. it costs around $39.95. i personally prefer to use

nanda-i nursing diagnoses: definitions & classification 2007-2008 which is published by nanda international. cost is $24.95 and it can only be obtained directly from nanda: http://www.nanda.org/html/nursing_diagnosis.html. it has no nursing interventions or outcome information in it. it is only the taxonomy information.

i strongly recommend that you learn how to use the nursing process to guide your care plan writing rather than rely totally on a care plan book for guidance in what nursing diagnoses and interventions to use. learning how to hone your critical thinking skills by using the nursing process will pay off big time not only in care plan writing, but on tests and when it comes time to take the nclex.

sneakymom2011 · May 6, 2008

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I learned this the hard way. I had to write my very first care plan by myself in this class (last one we were able to do it as a group). So I bought a careplan book and got most everything out of it.

I then had to re-write all the goals for one of my diagnoses. Nothing was measurable.

It was hard, but I learned more doing it that way. And there were other people in my clinical group as well who did the same thing, and had to re-do parts of their careplans.

futurecnm · May 7, 2008

Well, Im just looking for good books that others might have found helpful this semester that i should look into..I really need a new nursing diagnosis because ours sucks...carpenito...its just awful.....or any helpful study guides...i will be taking chronic next semester, and psych..i have no clue what thats all about..any books ideas, will be appreciated..

I think that one is a pretty good one. I do not tend to use the books too much. I find that you can usually find what you need in your regular textbooks and in your head, if you know all your patient info. The books you have for class should be more than enough. I know students who went out and spent hundreds on multiple care plan books, drug cards, etc etc and they did no better than those of us who did not. I don't see the need to purchase more books. If it was necessary they would be required. The only extra books I used regularly are NCLEX study guides to study for tests. Those are a great resource and way to learn. I borrowed mine from a RN.