"This is an excellent book for anyone starting out on the Common Foundation year of their Nursing Degree, and as a reference to those further into their degree, on placement, or newly qualified. It covers everything from communication skills to pressure ulcers, and includes all four Nursing branches: Child, Adult, Mental Health and Learning Disability. The book is accompanied by an excellent CD-ROM that includes step-by-step Case Studies, resources for the book's chapters, and skill-set video demos with self-assessment. The DVD applies the theory to practice in a style that is easy to understand and follow. It will prove invaluable in preparation for OSCEs and for refreshing skills that may not have been used for a while." Conor Hamilton, Student Nurse, Queens University Belfast, UK "An excellent foundation text for first year pre-registration nurses. The accompanying DVD encourages application of the theory and helps consolidate learning." Janine Lee, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK "This book provides an excellent alternative to other Clinical Skills books. The most obvious and most useful difference is the addition of a CD Rom. The book itself is clearly laid out from the beginning, with the table of contents detailing all the essential areas of nursing that are often forgotten. It is often assumed that nursing students already know the basics so the inclusion of how to bed bath a patient or how to feed a patient was welcomed. While primarily aimed at those following the common foundation program (1st year) it has also been of great use to myself during my 3rd year." Jackie Sheridan, Student Nurse, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK "I found this book useful for a backup from clinical skills sessions to refresh my mind. It uses simple easy understandable language with key ideas highlighted and uses pictures and diagrams where necessary. I found the cd-rom invaluable as it uses step to step guides of skills used and although we all learn them in skills sessions we sometimes forget the gold standard way as we learn to cut corners. It is easy to use and well designed ...It covers all branches of nursing with case studies to back up understanding and provide real-life examples of using skills in practice." Becky Gray, Student Nurse, University of Worcester, UK "I was very impressed by this textbook. It reads very well, is easy to follow and is suitable for students within the common foundation programme. Allowing these students to see alternative aspects of other branches which they may not have seen within practice is valuable and the DVD material naturally adds to the learning and helps to show theory within practice." Conleth Kelly, Lecturer in The Faculty of Health and Social Care, The University of Chester, UK "This is an impressively comprehensive guide to clinical skills drawing from the expertise and real life experiences of a variety of contributors with health and social care backgrounds ...The edge to the book that I feel raises it above other clinical skills guides, is the free interactive DVD. Designed to be used at certain points during the reading of the book, it provides the reader/viewer with extensive further reading and resources ...Additionally, and perhaps most usefully, it provides the student with video clips of the clinical skills being performed, which show how the bestevidence based methods can easily be applied in practice." Daniel Gill, Student Nurse, University of Salford, UK Clinical Skills: The Essence of Caring is an innovative new textbook and integrated Media Tool package which makes teaching and learning nursing interactive! Based on the Essence of Care, this book covers the core clinical skills curriculum and takes a holistic approach to the importance of delivering excellent nursing care. Key Features: Comprehensive coverage: An accessible account of all fundamental skills is provided, including Record Keeping, Communication and Pressure Ulcers. Pedagogy: A multitude of activity and case study boxes, a glossary, self-test questions and 25 patient scenarios really bring the topics to life. Inside every book is a free Media Tool DVD offering a wealth of fully integrated interactive material that is versatile enough to use in solo study, group assignments or classroom sessions. The DVD includes: Case studies: This section contains a video case study for each nursing branch (Adult, Child, Mental Health and Learning Disability) which follows a patient journey to highlight the importance of empathic caring. Skill Sets: This section includes video demonstrations and self-test questions for the clinical skills covered in first and second year nursing programmes, including: Infection Control, Wound Care, and Administration of Medicines. Chapter Resources: This section contains extra supporting chapter material and includes questions, links, key learning resources and examples of both good and bad practice. This comprehensive package offers a unique way of relating theory to practice, making it an essential learning resource for all CFP and nursing students. Visit www.openup.co.uk/clinicalskills for a preview of the DVD and updated material.