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Making Choices, Taking Chances

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Page 1: Making Choices, Taking Chances

FEBRUARY 1989, VOL. 49, NO 2 AORN JOURNAL

throughout the book. Chapter 5 has a particularly useful table, “Adjustment of medications in liver failure,” that includes routes of elimination, effect of liver disease on drug elimination, and adjustment of doses with liver failure.

One of the strongest points of this book is its bibliographies. Almost every chapter lists more than 100 current works relevant to the subject. This text also includes advanced scientific principles and research that can be used in the fast-paced and highly technical critical care setting. Overall, the book is informative and under- standable. I recommend it for anyone who cares for critically ill clients.

The book is available from Williams & Wilkins, 428 E Preston St, Baltimore, MD 21202.

ELISE M. ALVERSON, RN, MSN

VALPARAISO (IND) UNIVERSITY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Modell’s Drugs in Current Use and New Drugs, 34th ed. By Daniel A. Hussar, PhD 1988, I60 pp $14.95 paperback

The 34th edition of this book has been updated and revised with a new format that highlights commonly used medications. The book is divided in two parts. Part I provides useful and concise information concerning drugs in current use. Part I1 provides information about medications recently introduced in the United States. Both parts include action, uses, preparations, and warnings and precautions about the medications.

I do not find this book very helpful or useful to anyone. It does not tell the reader any more about a drug than a Physicians’ Desk Reference or a nursing drug reference book. In fact, I find the need to go to another reference before administering a medication. There are many other good drug reference books on the market in a similar price range and you get more for your money.

This book can be obtained from Springer Publishing Co, 536 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

RHONDA P. SNYDER, RN, MSN, CNOR

OFFICE NURSE FAMILY PRACTICE CENTER

DURHAM, NC

LEADERSHIP

Leadership for Change, second ed. By Dorothy A. Brooten, Laura L. Hayman, Mary D. Naylor 1988, 192 pp $14.95 paperback

This is an inspiring text that should be read, and kept on the shelf for quick referral, by every nurse seriously seeking effective change in the practice setting or the health care system as a whole. Both editions provide a history of change in our profession.

The first edition was directed primarily toward the frustrated graduate nurse seeking change. The second edition encompasses the frustrations, then expounds on action guidelines for planning and managing change. The guidelines represent theoretical frameworks that the reader can analyze.

The authors make readers aware of the need for nurses to increase their capacity for leadership within their profession as well as the community.

The book is well researched and easy to read. I recommend it to all nurses regardless of their area of practice, level of experience, or age. The book is available from J B Lippincott Co, E Washington Sq, Philadelphia, PA 19105.

ANNE LAWLESS, RN, CNOR HEAD NURSE/NEUROSURGERY

JACKSONVILLE, FLA ST VINCENT’S MEDICAL CENTER

Making Choices, Taking Chances By Thelma M. Schorr, Anne Zimmerman 1 9 8 8 , 4 1 4 ~ ~ $23.95 paperback

For those who enjoy biographies, this is must reading. Nurses, those considering nursing as a profession, those who have been involved in nursing, and those who have an interest in or relationship to nursing will learn how 46 leaders in nursing overcame personal and professional

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Page 2: Making Choices, Taking Chances

AORN JOURNAL FEBRUARY 1989, VOL. 49, NO 2

obstacles in choosing their careers. The authors themselves are leaders in the field

of nursing. Thelma Schorr is president and publisher of the American Journal of Nursing Co. Anne Zimmerman has served in several positions including the presidency of the American Nurses’ Association.

The book shows the background of decisions that have resulted in marked changes in all of nursing practice. Because the chapters are short and interesting, this book can be read straight through, or the life story of a particular individual can be perused. Many nurses have been excluded simply because of space limitations.

Much will be learned from the lives and experiences of those who have shared so intimately. At least two questions must be raised, however. Where is the male leadership in nursing, and where are the young nursing leaders?

This book is available from The C V Mosby Co, 11830 Westline Industrial Dr, St Louis, MO 63146.

MARJORIE A. COLLINS, BA ASSISTANT TO EDUCATION AND

RESEARCH COORDINATOR SIM INTERNATIONAL

CHARLOTTE. NC

MANAGEMENT

The Effective Nurse: Leader, Manager, third ed. By Laura M. Douglas 1988, 282 pp $22.95 paperback

In the third edition of this manual, the author successfully updates the original messages, and the book remains a very organized reflection of leadership and management theory.

It is written on the premise that nurses should receive preparation before they are given leadership positions. In this sense, it is excellent for introducing beginning concepts of leadership and management. Likewise, it is a valuable reference for leaders who need resource material for their practice. Each chapter contains behavioral objectives, theory, an organized summary, an exam

that measures comprehension of each objective, references, and suggested reading.

In the four years since publication of the second edition, the author has identified that contempo- rary nurse managers deal with complex and critical concerns. She supports the notion that today’s nurse has an expanded role, and therefore must recognize the law as an essential component of nursing. As a result, she added a chapter on legal and ethical issues that defines legal terms and the nurse practice act and differentiates between common law and common practice. The chapter even describes the nurse’s role in witnessing wills. This chapter, along with an expansion of the staff development chapter, are the primary differences in the third edition.

A broad scope of subjects is provided, including leadership concepts, styles, organizational struc- ture, and staffing roles. There also are chapters on staffing, budgeting, planning, and codmuni- cating, as well as a helpful section on ‘giving direction for the nurse manager at the first level.

First-time readers will want this updated, current, and informative manual. Among its strengths are the illustrations, diagrams, and charts. Readers who were familiar with the second edition will find this edition not too much different, but better.

The book is available from The C V Mosby Co, 11830 Westline Industrial Dr, St Louis, MO 63 146.

MARY Lou SULLINS, RN, BSN, CNOR EDUCATIONAL COORDINATOR/

KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL FONTANA, CALIF

PERIOPERATIVE SERVICES

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