Reviewer: Linda K. Connelly, PhD, DNP, MSH, CNS, ARNP, CNOR, COL (retired) (University of Houston)
Description: This sixth edition of a study guide for the medical-surgical registered nurse examination is a comprehensive review that uses boxes to highlight pertinent information. Since nursing is always advancing, which is reflected in the certification exam, so the resources for studying must keep pace. An accompanying ebook version allows users to highlight, customize for language, and convert to an audiobook.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a single resource registered nurses need to pass the medical-surgical certification examination. The book also is useful for nurses returning to practice after a hiatus, or for seasoned nurses needing a review. It purposefully covers content for both certifying organizations, MSCNCB and ANCC, and the content reflects evidence-based practice. Medical-surgical nursing is a specialty that cares for an increasingly complex set of patients, leading to the need for certification and resources to study for the certification exam.
Audience: According to the author, the audience is registered nurses in various stages of their careers. The book can be for useful students just entering the field, those returning to the field, or those pursuing certification. An additional audience could be nursing students who could use this as a study guide through school and for the NCLEX. Nurses who have been in a different specialty than medical-surgical nursing and are returning for an advanced degree may want to use it to brush up on basic medical-surgical nursing care. The author is a DNP advanced practice FNP and is CMSRN. She is employed in an FNP practice, which gives her the education to author this resource. Most of the contributors and consultants are advanced practice nurses, while a few are faculty. Although certainly the faculty are qualified, I would like to see some medical-surgical certified nurse specialists involved, as they are the experts at the bedside.
Features: The book starts with a review of the certification examination including what makes one eligible, test plan, and strategies for success. It then covers the broad range of content found on the actual examinations, including disorders by all body systems, such as coronary artery disease, COPD, hematological disorders, GI, and diabetes. Concise refreshers on wound care, perioperative nursing, collaborative practice, nursing research, and legal issues are included. Review questions appear at the end of each chapter, and answers with rationales are at the end of the book. The appendixes include a complete exam with answers and rationales, lab values, pharmacology by the system, and CDC isolation guidelines. The book could use some mnemonics and illustrations (such as the ebook offers).
Assessment: It seems every publisher in the nursing arena has at least one such book. This one is useful to nurses who are studying for the medical-surgical certification examination. Another book, Medical-Surgical Nurse Review and Resource Manual, 4th edition, ANA (American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2015), is a suitable for the medical-surgical nurse or the medical-surgical unit. Another resource is Medical-Surgical Nurse Exam Flashcards Study System, Mometrix, which would appeal to the population of nurses who like flashcards. However, I think the book with the online features is a better seller.