Specifically designed for student nurses, Clinical Skills for Nurses provides a handy, portable introduction to both the knowledge and practical procedures that first year nursing students require. Giving you the knowledge behind the skill, this book will boost your confidence and competence for your clinical placements and time in the clinical skills lab.

Clinical Skills for Nurses covers the skills and procedures used most frequently in clinical practice, and includes Point of Care training; blood transfusion and tracheotomy care; continence and bowel care; and early patient assessment and response. This book uniquely incorporates words of wisdom and advice from real-life student nurses; in other words: developed by students, for students!

Special features:

• Tips, advice and words of wisdom from real-life students included throughout
• Pocket sized for portability on your clinical placement
• Clear, straightforward, and jargon-free
• Ties in with the NMC standards for pre-registration education and the Essential Skills Clusters
• Examples and questions based on real life nursing & healthcare examples

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1 PERFORMING OBSERVATIONS

2 MALE URETHRAL CATHETERISATION

3 FEMALE URETHRAL CATHETERISATION

4 BOWEL CARE

5 TRACHEOSTOMY CARE

6 POINT-OF-CARE TRAINING

7 BLOOD TRANSFUSION

8 VENEPUNCTURE

9 PERIPHERAL CANNULATION

10 EARLY PATIENT ASSESSMENT AND RESPONSE

11 INTRAVENOUS THERAPY

12 BASIC LIFE SUPPORT

ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES, QUESTIONS AND “TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE”

APPENDIX 1: THE BRISTOL OBSERVATION CHART

BIBLIOGRAPHY