Main description:

Master the skills you need to succeed as a patient care technician! Fundamental Concepts and Skills for the Patient Care Technician, 2nd Edition provides a solid foundation in healthcare principles and in the procedures performed by PCTs and other health professionals. Coverage of skills includes patient hygiene, infection control, taking vital signs, moving and positioning of patients, blood and specimen collecting and testing, ECG placement and monitoring, care of the surgical patient, care of older adults, and more. Clear, step-by-step instructions help you learn each procedure, and may also be used as skills checklists. Written by nursing educator Kimberly Townsend Little, this text prepares students for success on Patient Care Technician or Nursing Assistant Certification exams.

More than 100 step-by-step skills and procedures cover the information found on the Nursing Assistant and Patient Care Technician certification exams.
Practice Scenarios present realistic case studies with questions to help you practice critical thinking and apply concepts to the practice setting.
Delegation and Documentation boxes cover the information needed from the nurse before a procedure and what information should be recorded after the procedure.
Illness and Injury Prevention boxes highlight important safety issues.
Chapter review questions test your understanding of important content.
Chapter summaries emphasize key points to remember.
Chapter objectives and key terms outline the important concepts and essential terminology in each chapter.

NEW! A chapter on medication administration is added to this edition.
NEW! New content is included on NG and gastric tubes, oral suctioning, incentive spirometry, use of a bladder scanner, and inserting peripheral IVs.
NEW! Updated guidelines include CPR and dietary guidelines.

Contents:

Unit 1: Introduction to Health Care

Ch. 1 Today's Health Care

Ch. 2 The Role of the Patient Care Technician

Ch. 3 Professionalism and Work Ethics

Ch. 4 Communicating with the Health Care Team

Unit 2: The Patient

Ch. 5 Understanding the Patient as a Person

Ch. 6 Patient Rights, Ethics and Laws

Ch. 7 Body Structure and Function/Growth and Development

Ch. 8 Pain Management, Comfort, Rest, and Sleep

Unit 3: Safety

Ch. 9 Asepsis and Infection Control

Ch. 10 Workplace Safety and Body Mechanics

Ch. 11 Patient Safety

Ch. 12 Moving, Positioning, and Preventing Falls

Ch. 13 Basic Emergency Care

Ch. 14 Medication Administration (NEW)

Unit 4: Patient Assessment

Ch. 15 Assisting with the Physical Examination

Ch. 165 Measuring and Recording Vital Signs

Ch. 17 Obtaining and Monitoring an Electrocardiogram

Unit 5: Patient Care and Comfort

Ch. 18 Assisting with Admissions and Discharge

Ch. 19 Bedmaking and Hygiene

Ch. 20 Assisting with Grooming

Ch. 21 Assisting with Nutrition and Fluids

Ch. 22 Assisting with Urinary Elimination

Ch. 23 Assisting with Bowel Elimination

Ch. 24 Assisting with Oxygen Needs

Unit 6: Blood and Specimen Collecting and Testing

Ch. 25 Blood Collecting and Processing

Ch. 26 Specimen Collecting and Testing

Unit 7: Surgery and Immobility

Ch. 27 Care of the Surgical Patient

Ch. 28 Heat and Cold Applications

Ch. 29 Care of Wounds and Pressure Ulcers

Ch. 30 Rehabilitative and Restorative Care

Unit 8: Special Care Concerns and Settings

Ch. 31 Care of Women and Children

Ch. 32 Caring for the Older Adult

Ch. 33 Caring for Patients with Mental Health Needs

Ch. 34 Caring for of the Patients with Chronic Conditions

Ch. 35 End-of-Life Care

Glossary