Student Nurse query in relation to books

Hello everyone

I am located in the UK and I am due to start student nursing in October child branch.

In the future I am thinking about possibly moving to California.

My query is, (right I am just thinking how I can word this) I am currently buying some nursing books to help me through the course, and I have been looking on Amazon.com too, what the query is, is does it matter if I buy books from America, is nursing different in America to that in the UK.

I have looked at the ratings for some of the books on Amazon.com that students have found really useful for helping throughout the course, but I obviously don't want to buy books from America if it is very different to nursing in the UK

But for future reference (I know its probably better to wait until after I qualify to think about possibly moving to California) what would I need to learn for moving to America, anything extra?

I don't think I have worded this very well at all, but any advice would be appreciated.

Laura :)

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

I can't believe that the actual hands on nursing care is much different. A sterile field is a sterile field anywhere you go. A dressing is a dressing. Medication names might be a little different, but I'm sure that nurses in the U.K. and the U.S. strive to give the right drug to the right patient at the right time, wouldn't you say?

Probably what is different is the nursing diagnosis and nursing care plan ideas. These are nursing theories that are well ingrained in American nursing and part of nursing practice in the states. NANDA (North American Nursing Diagnosis Association) has a web site (http://www.nanda.org). Their official list of nursing diagnoses is the basis for the development of each patient's nursing care plan as most any of the student nurses can tell you. In their clinical activities, students are required to prepare a nursing care plan for each patient they are assigned to. It requires them to use the nursing process (collect data, analyze it, develop a plan of action, evaluate the patient's response) in doing this. On a very simplistic nursing care plan they state a problem (usually in the language of a NANDA nursing diagnosis), along with what they have determined to be expected outcomes or goals usually stated in a positive way, a list of interventions (or the real meat of the care plan, this is where the actual nursing activities that you will perform for the patient are listed), and for student care plans a rationale is often required. The rationale is basically a reference as to why you are going to be doing each intervention. In my bachelor's degree program we also had to footnote and make reference to textbooks and journals to support these interventions.

Learning to work with the NANDA diagnoses is a very frustrating activity for students, but it is a collegiate level expectation. In actuality, many hospitals have pre-printed care plans that are developed so they can be easily and quickly individualized for each patient. These become a permanent part of the patient's permanent, legal medical record. Developing a care plan is a very time consuming activity when first learning it.

Does this sound anything like what goes on in the UK? I hope I haven't totally lost you. I'm sure that there are plenty of students who would have much to add to this as care plans are baffling to many of them.

Nurses in America are expected to be independent practictioners. They are expected to think and rationalize and to question any physician's orders that they feel are inappropriate or unclear. We are encouraged to be advocates for the patients and their rights.

I am sure others will recommend other texts, but I, in particular, like Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children by Katherine L. McCance and Sue E. Huether. It is a good basic medical nursing textbook loaded with physiology of the disease processes, but it does not include any specific references to care plan writing. Many of the nursing books published by Springhouse publishing are specifically aimed at today's working RN in the U.S. They have wonderful books on charting, reading EKGs, medications, evaluating heart sounds, lung sounds, etc.--all kinds of things. Two other large publishers of nursing textbooks in the U.S. are Mosby (http://www.harcourt-international.com/mosby/) and Saunders (http://www.elsevierhealth.com). Ask the nursing students on this site to tell you what text books they are being required to use for their classes.

[loziy]

I can't believe that the actual hands on nursing care is much different. A sterile field is a sterile field anywhere you go. A dressing is a dressing. Medication names might be a little different, but I'm sure that nurses in the U.K. and the U.S. strive to give the right drug to the right patient at the right time, wouldn't you say?

Probably what is different is the nursing diagnosis and nursing care plan ideas. These are nursing theories that are well ingrained in American nursing and part of nursing practice in the states. NANDA (North American Nursing Diagnosis Association) has a web site (http://www.nanda.org). Their official list of nursing diagnoses is the basis for the development of each patient's nursing care plan as most any of the student nurses can tell you. In their clinical activities, students are required to prepare a nursing care plan for each patient they are assigned to. It requires them to use the nursing process (collect data, analyze it, develop a plan of action, evaluate the patient's response) in doing this. On a very simplistic nursing care plan they state a problem (usually in the language of a NANDA nursing diagnosis), along with what they have determined to be expected outcomes or goals usually stated in a positive way, a list of interventions (or the real meat of the care plan, this is where the actual nursing activities that you will perform for the patient are listed), and for student care plans a rationale is often required. The rationale is basically a reference as to why you are going to be doing each intervention. In my bachelor's degree program we also had to footnote and make reference to textbooks and journals to support these interventions.

Learning to work with the NANDA diagnoses is a very frustrating activity for students, but it is a collegiate level expectation. In actuality, many hospitals have pre-printed care plans that are developed so they can be easily and quickly individualized for each patient. These become a permanent part of the patient's permanent, legal medical record. Developing a care plan is a very time consuming activity when first learning it.

Does this sound anything like what goes on in the UK? I hope I haven't totally lost you. I'm sure that there are plenty of students who would have much to add to this as care plans are baffling to many of them.

Nurses in America are expected to be independent practictioners. They are expected to think and rationalize and to question any physician's orders that they feel are inappropriate or unclear. We are encouraged to be advocates for the patients and their rights.

I am sure others will recommend other texts, but I, in particular, like Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children by Katherine L. McCance and Sue E. Huether. It is a good basic medical nursing textbook loaded with physiology of the disease processes, but it does not include any specific references to care plan writing. Many of the nursing books published by Springhouse publishing are specifically aimed at today's working RN in the U.S. They have wonderful books on charting, reading EKGs, medications, evaluating heart sounds, lung sounds, etc.--all kinds of things. Two other large publishers of nursing textbooks in the U.S. are Mosby (http://www.harcourt-international.com/mosby/) and Saunders (http://www.elsevierhealth.com). Ask the nursing students on this site to tell you what text books they are being required to use for their classes.

Thank you so much for your reply that was really great information!! Thanks for taking the time to write so much.

Laura

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Thank you so much for your reply that was really great information!! Thanks for taking the time to write so much.

Laura

You are quite welcome. I hope it was helpful for you. :)

[sofaraway04]

In a student from the UK, the way we do things is slightly different.

for example these care plans things, we don't do that. For each ward has different pre-printed care plans specific to the speciality. As students we are expected to use these care plans in practice. but wouldn't have to make our own for the patients we look after.

Can I suggest the royal marsden manual of clinical nursing procedures by mallet bailey . You can't do without this book, it has every skill and how to perform it.

For a science books I have seeley stephens and tate- anatomy and phsyiology or

martini- anatomy and physiology.

I'm doing adult, but I know there is the core childrens nursing book, If I can find it out I'll let you know.

if there is anythign else you want to know just shout

Nikki