A Must for all Deegree and Diploma Student Nurses.October 31, 2008 As holistic practitioners; nurses are no longer as task orientated as was common in previous years. No longer are they to serve as hand-maiden's of Doctors, but rather as independent practitioners in their own right. To be successful in the holistic approach to nursing, psychology is of paramount importance. In 'Psychology for Nurses and the Caring Profession' Walker et al set out a clearly defined route for the study of the human condition in relation to nursing. The text is easy and pleasant to read allowing for greater absorption of the material in what is usually a highly complex and daunting field of nurses studies.
Many times I have heard fellow students with no background in any form of psychology say how it interests them in lectures but falls far short of their expectations in solo study; that is most definitely not the case with 'Psychology for Nurses and the Caring Profession'. The main theories of psychology are clearly set out and explained to such a level that not only new students but those with a thorough background in psychology will enjoy and learn something new.
Each chapter begins by setting out the main issues and questions that shall be addressed there-in allowing students to easily flick through the text and find what they are looking for; something that in other texts requires endless hours of searching through the index, and thinking of countless ways the authors could have phrased one idea.
The real world application sections of the chapters allow for nurses to see the ideas put forward applied to some real life like examples in nursing, something other texts have tried to do but alas have not seemed to do so as well as Walker et al. The more complex ideas of psychology are broken down into easily understandable diagrams, which if you are anything like me will love and find a great aid to your studies.
To help in the consolidation of information at the end of the text are selected exercises for each chapter, allowing you to try out your newly acquired knowledge and insight in a safe environment rather than out on the wards.
I would highly recommend this text to any student studying psychology as part of the CFP or later years and to qualified nurses with an interest in psychology and it's relationship to holistic practice. It is must for every student nurse out there, a book dedicated to the nursing professions most important aspect; understanding our patients needs.
An absolute must for the student nurseMarch 28, 2001 52 out of 53 found this review helpful
Psychology for Nurses and the Caring Profession is a must for the student nurses out there. It puts things in easy to read format and is not just reems and reems of text, as I have discovered so many other psychology text books. Each subject is broken down into foolproof language and there are exercises to do throughout the chapters.
This is the only book I have found which is totally dedicated to the nursing student. It deals with the basics, such as what is psychology and also how it relates to health. It has good chapters on understanding health and illness along with self concept and body image and perception. Having just started the Common Foundation Program on the way to qualifying as a Registered Nurse, I found this book to be ideal in every aspect of the course so far.
If you have never done psychology before and are starting out as a medical student, I cannot recommend this book enough.
