Fast Facts for the Medical- Surgical Nurse: Clinical Orientation in a Nutshell / Edition 1

by Maggie Ciocco MS, RN, BC

Overview

Written for registered nurses in orientation, this concise, user-friendly resource provides a complete picture of all components of excellent patient care on a busy medical-surgical nursing unit. It covers assessment, key clinical skills/procedures, and documentation of care in an easily digestible, bulleted format. Time-tested guidance about new nurse orientation to professional practice includes "proven pearls for success." Content is current and evidence-based, and reinforces previously mastered skills in "key points to remember" sections. The theme of "the big picture" of patient care is a consistent thread throughout.

Clinical chaptersóorganized by body system for easy reference--present common conditions seen in medical-surgical nursing and unit emergencies, along with focused assessments, lab work overview, related procedures and skills, a documentation guide, and common medications including those for pain management. Chapters also cover pre-operative and post-operative care for all conditions. Several "must-have sections" include an orientation guide describing what new nurses can expect as they embrace their new role. This section addresses co-workers and supervisors, finding a mentor, hourly rounding, HIPAA reminders, and telephone skills/customer relations. Another section is devoted to all aspects of infection control, and an appendix provides a wealth of resources and supporting information of particular value to the new nurse.

Key Features:

• Provides concise, user-friendly, evidence-based guidance about the "whole picture" of nursing on a medical-surgical or sub-acute unit
• Presents a unique orientation section offering "proven pearls for success"
• Contains focused assessment guides, skills overview, documentation tips, and medications for common medical-surgical conditions and emergencies
• Addresses pre- and post-operative care and pain control
• Covers important protocols regarding infection control

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826119896
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/26/2014
Series:	Fast Facts
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Maggie Ciocco, MS, RN, BC is currently a nursing program advisor. She has over 25 years of experience in nursing education, including as a preceptor, mentor, staff development instructor, orientation coordinator, nursing lab instructor, and clinical instructor.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Part I Overview of the Medical-Surgical Nursing Orientation

1 Orientation: Welcome to Your New Role as a Medical-Surgical Nurse 3

2 Patient Safety: From Preventing Adverse Drug Events to Infection Control 15

3 Nursing Assessment Basics: Focused Assessment and the PQRST System 29

Part II Common Medical-Surgical Conditions and Emergencies

4 Neurological Deficits in the Medical-Surgical Patient: Altered Mental Status Can Occur in Any Patient 43

5 Assessment Skills to Differentiate Signs and Symptoms of a Cardiac Event From Other Possible Conditions 57

6 Common Respiratory Conditions and Emergencies 73

7 The Treatment of Common Gastrointestinal Conditions 85

8 Promoting Safety and Preventing Infection in Patients With Genitourinary Alterations 97

9 Promoting Healing, Preventing Altered Skin Integrity, and Preventing Wound Infection 109

10 Prevention and Treatment of Hip Fracture Along With Orthopedic Surgery Postoperative Care Tips 121

11 Commonly Seen Endocrine Disorders and Care Tips 133

Part III Must-Have Resources for the Medical-Surgical Nurse

12 Medical-Surgical Resources to Assist You in Your New Role 145

Bibliography 161

Index 165

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Linda Connelly, PhD, DNP, MSH, CNS, APRN, CNOR (University of Houston)
Description: This is an evidence-based, "big picture" guide for medical-surgical nurses. Using a bullet format, it covers focused assessments, key clinical skills and procedures (including lab work), common medications, and appropriate documentation. The book is organized by body system, and includes chapters on orientation with tips for success, patient safety, pain assessment, and resources.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide an orientation guide for new nurses starting to work on a medical-surgical unit. Not all orientations are created equal and the first chapter has excellent ideas for new nurses to take charge of their orientation. The book meets the objectives, starting with the orientation, then moving to patient safety and focused assessment, which includes pain. The next section provides summaries of important points and includes key facts for each body system.
Audience: The audience is new clinical staff nurses on a medical-surgical unit or subacute unit. The author states that this book can be used throughout a nurse's career. I wholeheartedly agree. It could also be used with faculty and students to enhance their clinical experience.
Features: The first section on nursing education covers patient safety and focused assessment. The second section goes through the body systems in a bullet format to give an overview of the "big picture," including emergencies, and the last section provides the resources for the clinical position. Innovative, highlighted "Fast Facts" throughout the book draw readers' attention to the key elements for each system. The author's reassuring words about the highs and lows of a nursing career will encourage new nurses. Although the book does not cover every single condition, it covers the most common ones. The size of the book makes it possible to carry it in a pocket to keep handy for a quick reference. I would have included a section on interprofessional teams and delegation and, perhaps, one on state boards of nursing.
Assessment: This is a good resource for newly hired nurses in medical-surgical or subacute settings, but it has a wealth of important information for others as well. Its organization makes it a great resource to carry throughout a career. At times, nurses move to different units or new facilities and have another orientation, and the information in this book applies to those instances as well. I have seen orientation books and clinical reference books using the body system format, but not in combination like this one.

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