Pudner, R. (2010) Nursing the surgical patient. 3rd edn. Edinburgh: Ballière Tindall Elsevier.

I was gifted this book by a family friend who is a retired nurse! A friend of mine is due to have a surgical procedure soon and has been asking me lots of questions which I am unable to answer due to lack of surgical experience, therefore I decided I would use this book to both prepare for any surgical placements that I may have upcoming and to gain some knowledge to be able to reassure my friend. This book is easily split up into different chapters regarding different body systems therefore it is easy to find chapters relevant to interests. I will use this book when on a surgical placement to expand my knowledge on different procedures, their recovery and how as nurses we can support our patients going through certain procedures. What I have enjoyed most about this book is that it views the patient holistically, and even gives advice on how we can support patients before and after surgery psychologically. It talks about altered body image post-surgery and how we can support patients through these feelings. This book also uses case studies and implies other nursing theories such as the RLT model for assessment of patients undergoing surgery. It was interesting to see a link between other pieces I have read.

Krechowicz R, Gupta M, Gratton V, Hickey C, Thompson LH, Kyeremanteng K. (2021) ‘Case Discussions in Advanced Care Planning.’ American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.38(4):366-370. doi:10.1177/1049909120948495

Although this article is American the findings can also be relevant to medical practice in other countries across the world. Prior to my training I worked on a specialist frailty ward and advanced care planning (ACP) is something we discussed a lot. Therefore, I am interested to learn more about the importance of advanced care planning from the perspective of a registered nurse. This article states that ACP is beneficial for both the patient and those around them for a number of reasons. Firstly, it can make a family’s grief less complicated as wishes for end of life are known. It can also reduce the amount of time spent in hospital, for those with complicated/ multiple health conditions. From my own experience I have seen the importance of advanced care planning first hand, but this article made me see another perspective such as reduced hospital admissions, which gives it an increased importance. I will use what I have learnt from this article in my practice to facilitate ACP where possible.

When doing our Assessing needs and planning person centered care module (ANPPCC) we were introduced to the Roper, Logan and Tierney (RLT) Model of nursing known as the ‘Activities of daily living’ (ADLS.) This nursing theory is often used in the assessment of patients. I had seen this theory used before in practice but did not know the precise theory behind it. Using the RLT model we can perform a holistic assessment of our patients in both an acute or community setting. It is extremely versatile and allows us to gain insight into multiple areas of the patient’s life and what they’re able to do. The text is split into the 12 ADLs and discusses each one and its relevance individually and is illustrated with examples. This text is popular and well known with British trained nurses. I will continue to refer to and use this text both in my academic work and clinical practice.

Roper, N., Logan, W. and Tierney, A.J. (2000). The Roper-Logan-Tierney Method of Nursing : Based on Activities of living.1st ed. Harlow: Churchill Livingstone.

‘The Code’ published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018) is a document outline the code of conduct for all registered nurses and midwives in the UK. Failure to adhere to the code can result in being struck off the NMC register!  This document has been central to both my academic work and placement work as it is central to everything we do as nurses. We must maintain the code in all areas of practice. This document helps me understand what is always expected of me as both a student and as a registered nurse because I am representing the nursing profession at all times.

Nursing and Midwifery Council, (2018.) The Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/nmc-publications/nmc-code.pdf [Accessed 9 June 2023].

‘Foundations of Adult Nursing’ by Dianne Burns is a book I have referred to time and time again over my first year of this course. It has been useful across all modules including skills. As indicated by the title it covers the foundations needed to be a successful adult nurse. It is broken down into two parts with sixteen chapters in total. The two main themes are ‘theory and context in relation to adult nursing,’ and ‘caring for adults in a variety of settings.’ This book supported me largely with my A2 assignment, using chapter two titled ‘Nursing Therapeutics’ to explore therapeutic relationships, what they are and the role of these in nursing. From reading this book I understand that there is no single way to have a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship but by delivering care we can increase the likelihood of recovery by delivering care. She notes that patients are likely to recover due to human biology. Throughout this book there are many case studies presenting different scenarios for you to consider, this is helpful to simulate real life scenarios that I could possibly encounter in the future. There are many nursing themes/theories covered within this book and I am sure I will continue to refer to it throughout the rest of my studies.

Burns, D. (2019) Foundations of adult nursing. Second edn. London, England: SAGE.