Education and research resources: this page contains a selection of books and other resources of particular interest to nursing students, educators and researchers.

Building your nursing career: a guide for students. Waddell, J., Donner, G., Wheeler, M., (2005) 2nd ed. Toronto: Mosby.

Planning a nursing career is a path that begins on entry to a nursing programme. This is a practical guide designed to help nursing students get the most our of their education and their careers, both professionally and personally. Written for nursing students at any stage of their nursing education, this guide will be an informative and helpful resource for nurses as they continue their nursing careers.

Communication for nurses: talking with patients. Lisa Kennedy Sheldon. (2005) Boston: Jones and Bartlett.

This book is divided into five sections, covering 16 chapters. The five sections are: setting the stage for effective communication; the nurse-patient relationship; communicating with specific patient groups; communicating with other health care providers; and a conclusion. The book is very clearly American (the case studies are very American examples), and is a short, easy-to-read book that attempts to cover nursing communication skills in 142 pages (including bibliography and index).

This book is aimed at those who are teaching nursing. It is well structured, with the use of case studies and the theoretical background that underpins the techniques described. At the end of each chapter are suggested exercises, to do either in small groups or individually. The case study at the beginning of each chapter is also played out at the end of the chapter, providing resolution of the "tricky" situations outlined.

The author has extensive experience in oncology nursing, and this shows in the amount of information given to communicating with those with a terminal illness, vs that given to, for example, communicating with cultural diversity. The chapter on cultural diversity is five pages long, providing at best a very brief contribution toward this discussion. This limits its usefulness for the New Zealand nurse.

The main weakness of this book is its brevity. It is made clear that the formation and growth of communication skills is a lifelong achievement for nurses, and that best learning is from patients. However, this is made clear on the last page, and it would be useful for readers to have an understanding of this from the very beginning. Nonetheless, this book is very readable and enables students of nursing to begin learning a little about the science and the art of communicating with patients.

Reviewed by Andrea Mears, RN, Princess Margaret Hospital 

Guidance for mentors of student nurses and midwives. An RCN toolkit. (2005) London: Royal College of Nursing.

This toolkit will support you as you help students get the most from their practice experience. Designed for a mentor, or an associate mentor who is new to the role, the toolkit is also a valuable prompt and update for the more experienced mentor.

http://www.rcn.org.uk/publications/pdf/guidance for_mentors.pdf.

The information needs of nurses: summary report of on RCN survey. (2005) London: Royal College of Nursing.

This report outlines just a few of the survey's toast interesting findings. It has three sections:

* general access to information;

* information or knowledge to improve practice in the clinical area; and

* information needed to support lifelong learning and formal courses of study.

http://www.rcn.org.uk/publications/pdf/TheInformationNeedsOfNurses.pdf

Writing research: transforming data into text. Clare, J. and Hamilton, H. eds. (2003) Edinburgh: Churchill Livingston.

This unique resource provides valuable assistance to those writing and publishing nursing research. Rather than emphasising how to conduct research, it assists in the writing task itself--identifying the principles of writing and the commonly used methodologies of health care research. The writing process, as it applies to research, is examined and techniques for writing are discussed in detail. Practical hints and helpful suggestions are included throughout the text, with examples where appropriate. In addition, the book discusses the similarities and differences between the forms of written research--specifically journal articles, theses, conference papers and research reports.

Guidelines for writing grant proposals. (2006) Geneva, Switzerland: International Council of Nurses.

For many nurses and nursing organisations grant writing is a new competency and therefore nurses need to develop and enhance their skills in writing proposals that convince the potential funder. This publication provides nurses and other health professionals with a step-by-step approach to writing a grant proposal.

The orientation of nurses in new work settings. New Approaches, New challenges. Trends and issues in nursing. No. 21. Forman, C. (2006) Geneva: International Council of Nurses.

This monograph examines the concepts behind orientation and provides examples of programmes that exist for new graduate nurses, nurses returning to clinical practice after a career break, internationally recruited nurses and to a lesser degree, established nurses who are changing clinical workplaces. Each group has its own needs, but common ground does exist between them. Effective orientation to a workplace is fundamental in the development of that individual's perceptions, role preparation effectiveness and long-term retention.

NZNO members are able to borrow these books/articles. Email [e-mail] or telephone [phone]. Information on the books (except the one reviewed) included on this page comes from publishers' publicity material.

Library resource lists con be found on NZNO's website: www.nzno.org.nz.

NZNO librarian Linda Stopforth