Transitions to Professional Nursing Practice - 2nd Edition

Reviewed by Karen Jagiello, Assistant Professor, James Madison University on 11/18/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text provides a good overview; however, the content is abbreviated and does not fully discuss concepts in depth. The use of bullets is concise but does not lead to a full understanding of the material. For example, nursing theory is condensed and lacks any reference to theorists or how theory is foundational to practice. Needs updating to include the new AACN Essentials of Practice.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is accurate, error-free, and unbiased. Current and classic literature support used throughout.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Most content is current and accurate. An update is needed to include the new AACN Essentials of Practice. Some articles are just out of date or soon will be; however, they should be easily updated.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing is clear, concise, and flows well in a logical progression.

Consistency rating: 5

The text provides readers a sound and uniform framework for learning using consistent language, vocabulary, and formatting.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is organized into chapters and subchapters. The content within chapters would be easily located if multiple readings assigned. Updating information in one chapter or subchapter would not require in depth revision.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Topics are organized and linked in the table of contents. The content flows well.

Interface rating: 4

The text navigation is uncomplicated and includes links that move you through the content. Links to supplemental content are active and pertinent. All tables and images are clear and easy to view. A few places that reference further information in “week resources” which are not included in this text or if they are – can easily identified.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors noted in the content. One missing citation found.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The text is non-biased but does not present any promotion for inclusive excellence or diversity in the writing.

Comments

While this text book is a nice addition to an RN-BSN role transition course, there is a lot of material that would need to be supplemented from other sources. I found that the content was current and appropriate for the level of student. The short chapters and bulleted style of writing was easy to read. I did miss the personalization and stories found in other texts that I have used. This text is in a “just the facts” style of writing.

Reviewed by Carol Thomas, Adjunct Assistant Professor, New York City College of Technology on 10/5/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covered all areas that i presently teach with in depth examples and relevant videos and pictures.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

References were rechecked, also from my prior class text book.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The text is up to date but some references are old but the .information are important.

Clarity rating: 5

The text are very easy to read.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent in terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is easy to read and consistent with themes that support easy reading.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is well organized and chapter four the male and female leadership was well represented. I certainly will have students discuss this.

Interface rating: 5

The textbook was easy to read and navigate.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not observe grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook is not culturally insensitive or offensive.

Comments

The textbook was easy to read and the themes presented few difficulties which will support students understanding. The female and male leadership style which emphasizes a power of approach held my attention. This leadership style can support both sexes communicating with each other and also their patients. This book will be an asset for the open education resources program, and is relevant for professional nursing.

Reviewed by Katie Polchlopek, Assistant Professor/Chair of Practical Nursing Program, Berkshire Community College on 6/20/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This textbook covers multiple nursing topics for the novice associate degree nurse transitioning into the baccalaureate level of nursing. The textbook has a comprehensive sequential flow covering the profession of nursing including scope of practice, professionalism, accountability, ethics, critical thinking, evidence based practice, and leadership. The table of contents provides readers the topics and references in a easy to read format. The book does not have a glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text is accurate at the time of publication. The instructors and readers at the time of reading may need to verify current practice standards due to the constant changes that happen in nursing practice. The topics have enough information to provide students enhanced learning and appreciation of nursing transition to practice. Instructors can add additional supplemental resources for students learning and practice. The textbook uses current and classic views for readers to learn and utilize in their nursing practice. There is no evidence of bias represented in the textbook.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book provides future nurses a comprehensive overview of what to expect when transitioning from novice nurse to a professional, practicing, baccalaureate nurse. The topics provide information on professionalism and best practice. The chapters flow nicely and provide the reader an overview of a foundation in nursing and advance them to the baccalaureate level. The accountability of practice is very detailed and helpful for nurses advancing their degrees. The book provides faculty a nice tool to share with students and provide them with a comprehensive overview for their continued practice and advancement in nursing. The blend of nursing theory, practice, critical thinking, evidence based practice, and belonging to professional organizations brings the true art of the nursing profession to students accomplishing end-of-course learning outcomes successfully.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing is in a logical format that is clear for the reader to comprehend and utilize for practice.

Consistency rating: 5

The terminology and flow of the chapter engages the learner and provides a understandable framework.

Modularity rating: 5

The chapters within the text are organized and broken down into sub-topics. The textbook would have great use as a resource to a nursing leadership course or nursing transition into professional practice.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The content is very organized. The reader can go to each topic easily by looking at the table of contents and clicking the topic they wish to read and explore. The references are at the end of each chapter and they include links for readers to review and easily access. Overall, the organization of the text is student friendly.

Interface rating: 5

The text is easy to navigate with no specific areas of concern. The font and tables are suitable for learning and use. The text has very few images.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There appears to be no grammatical errors throughout the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The textbook is appropriately inclusive within the chapters and descriptions for readers.

Comments

This textbook is a comprehensive book to add to a nursing leadership course for students transitioning from a nurse to the baccalaureate level of practice. Instructors can use this book for a organized overview of nursing practice and future nurses advancing in leadership roles. Instructors can add critical thinking resources and assignments to stimulate use of the topics outlined in the chapters. Overall, this is a wonderful learning tool for discussing nursing practice.

Reviewed by Ellen Rearick, Assistant Professor, Framingham State University on 5/23/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This text covered the subject well. No index or glossary included.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content was accurate for this student population

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is current with many recent references and links to professional websites

Clarity rating: 5

The text was lucid, clear, and provide context/definitions for all technical terms used.

Consistency rating: 5

Nursing standards provided the framework. They were threaded throughout the textbook

Modularity rating: 5

There were many tables in the textbook that linked to professional documents and websites.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The structure and flow of this textbook are clear. Introducing professional nursing standards and using them in context is well done.

Interface rating: 4

Overall the interface is well done. Some links that state "read this article" require a link to an LMS library. This can limit the student's ability to access the articles if they are not in an LMS.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No concerns noted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

A comprehensive section on changing demographics in the USA, needs of immigrants to the USA, and working people of various backgrounds.

Comments

Overall, a good textbook. One concern is that in the later chapters, there are references to "in Week 1" and viewing TedTalks and other media in "the online course." This would indicate that additional content was only available through the specific college course for which this was developed.

Reviewed by Mike Aldridge, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Northern Colorado on 5/4/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The author strives to strike a balance in the amount of detail required in an ADN to BSN course that covers a broad range of topics. Clearly, different faculty will have areas where they wish there was more or less depth. As an example, leadership theories are covered briefly in a table in Chapter 4, but I am not sure a student could truly understand and apply these theories to their nursing practice based on the minimal coverage. However, faculty could augment this topic with other resources or case studies if desired.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I found no significant errors or statements that implied bias in this text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Like most nursing textbooks in this arena, updates will be needed when the new Essentials of Baccalaureate Nursing Practice are formally adopted soon, since this text is based on the most recent version of the Essentials released in 2008. This issue is not unique to this work, though.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing is clear, concise, and accessible to undergraduate students.

Consistency rating: 5

The text and chapters flow together and are written with one voice.

Modularity rating: 5

Organization of the text is clear. Given the topics, chapters could be used together or in a stand-alone / remix format. Headings are used appropriately and helps organize and divide the content for the reader.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Well organized and easy to follow.

Interface rating: 5

Online version of the text is easy to navigate, with images and tables appearing in appropriate places. Links appear to work. The pdf version of the text offers portability and the ability to print the text easily if students prefer that option.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Well written; no significant grammatical errors noted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Given the topical coverage, I think the author does an adequate job here. For example, in the communication chapter (Ch 3), differences in gender communication styles are covered, which is something that is important and only in a handful of nursing textbooks. However, little coverage is given to other cultural issues in nursing.

Comments

SUMMARY: This book is written for nursing students transitioning into professional nursing practice in an ADN to BSN program. Six chapters, which could be used alone or kept together for an entire course, are written at an appropriate level for most undergraduate students. Chapter 1 lays the foundation for what a profession is and what professional nursing practice specifically is. Chapter 2 overviews the importance of professional development. Chapter 3 discusses communication, including SBAR and interprofessional communication issues. Chapter 4 focuses on leadership and briefly covers major leadership theories applicable to nursing practice. Chapter 5 centers on nursing theory and how it can be used to develop nursing practice. Chapter 6 discusses professional organizations, focusing mainly on the ANA and the benefits to being active in professional organizations. Links to other specialty organizations are included. Overall, this book is a very useful resource for a wide range of nursing students, as faculty can use this as a base for content and then augment it with additional resources, case studies, and application questions. I appreciate the author's efforts for writing this text.

Reviewed by Paula Nersesian, Assistant Professor, University of Southern Maine on 3/5/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text covers all of the elements typically covered in a course on professional nursing practice for RN to BSN students. The table of contents is clear and readily links to the key topics and references in each chapter. The first chapter is the most comprehensive and remaining chapters are more focused.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

There is no evidence of bias in this text. Tables from other sources are clearly documented and illustrate key content that is best represented in its entirety instead of being paraphrased. Literature cited in this text includes classic as well as recent publications.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The material covered in this text is highly accessible and pertinent to the professional practice of nursing. It would be an excellent choice for faculty teaching a course on professionalism in nursing practice for nurses with an associate's degree seeking a baccalaureate degree. Many sections would be relevant for other courses as well. The Essentials and Competencies of Baccalaureate Education are outlined and provide a foundation for the student as they expand their nursing practice. Specific Essentials are then threaded through the text as relevant content is addressed, such as interprofessional practice. The material on accountability is thoughtful and thorough. Content on ethics appears to be appropriately threaded through the text. This text is a treasure for faculty seeking to introduce a wide range of concepts and content to nurses seeking a BSN. This includes aspects of critical thinking, reflection, research design, the NINR, EBP, leadership, nursing theory, and professional organizations.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing style is clear and logically organized.

Consistency rating: 5

The text appears to be consistent in the use of terminology.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is organized into chapters and sub-elements that can be adopted as required reading for various courses addressing professionalism.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The content is well organized. More complete footers would help readers know where they are on each page. Currently the footers are set up as if the text were in printed format. Students are unlikely to print this electronic document and thus, I would prefer to have the chapter identified in the footer of all pages.

Interface rating: 5

The text has no technological glitches. Tables are well-designed, font size is adequate, and images are few and meaningful.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There appear to be no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The content is inclusive in resources and images. I would like to see BIPOC intentionally placed in the text.

Comments

The next time I teach the professionalism in nursing practice course at my institution, I plan to make this the required textbook . Until now, I used journal articles and web-based content. This text compiles relevant and important content in one volume, which students would likely appreciate. I will also use sections of this text for other courses I teach since the material is compiled and presented in such a clear and accessible format.

Reviewed by Nancyruth Leibold, Associate Professor, Southwest Minnesota State University on 12/17/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the topics related to transitions into professional nursing practice. Professional nursing practice, baccalaureate education, healthcare in the 21st century, accountability, autonomy, nursing philosophy, professional development, interprofessional communication and collaboration, critical thinking, evidence-based practice, leadership, nursing theory and professional organizations are the key topics included.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of the book is informed by published evidence in the discipline of nursing. Sources are cited and referenced. The content is current for the most part. There are some older sources used, albeit classic creative works. The content is accurate and without bias.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is relevant and focused to the transition into professional nursing. There are links to state laws for New York. For nurses and faculty in other states, they could easily find the nurse state laws for their state of licensure. Necessary updates in the future should be easy and straightforward due to the fabulous organization of the text.

Clarity rating: 5

This text is easy to read. It is organized and follows a logical sequence that is consistent throughout the text. The chapters include great tables to organize some of the information for easier absorption of terms and concepts.

Consistency rating: 5

The content and terms in this text are internally congruent. The content is consistent, and the layout is consistent throughout the book.

Modularity rating: 5

Each chapter includes headings to differentiate different sections. The sections within chapters mix well and are in logical order. White space is fused quite well.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

This professional nursing transition text is well-organized and smoothly transitions from one topic to another. Learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter and learning exercises/activities at the end of each major concept would be helpful for the learner to know and check their understanding and clarity.

Interface rating: 5

This book is easy to navigate. There are links in the content table that provide quick access to chapters and chapter sections. When in a chapter, one can click on the title at the top to return to the content table or click the arrows at the bottom to previous or next. Tables, figures, and pictures are used effectively to organize information and stress key ideas. The text is available in PDF format and online format. The PDF file is quite large, so having the text online is a plus!

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

This text is free of grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The author acknowledges the role of culture in nursing practice. Cultural content is woven throughout the text. Examples of cultural relevance in the text are the changing U.S. population, communication, competencies for professional nursing practice, standards of practice, the code of ethics, and standards of professional performance. The text is culturally sensitive and embraced examples that include a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Comments

Overall, this is an excellent OER textbook for the discipline of nursing. Thank you, Dr. Murphy, for your contribution with this creative work!