Clinical Skills in Children's Nursing

Children's Nurses require excellent clinical skills to provide high quality care to children and young people across a range of different ages. After the first year of their training, children's nursing students must master skills of increasing complexity whilst developing clinical judgement and confidence. Therefore, it is vital that links are made to children's biology and development, family needs, legal issues and problem solving but until now, it has been hard to find all this in one place.

Clinical Skills for Children's Nursing is designed for children's and general nursing students in second year onwards to facilitate the transition from closely supervised beginners, to qualified professionals. By clearly explaining essential principles, evidence and special considerations, this text helps students to build up their confidence, not just in performing skills, but also in decision-making in readiness for registration and beyond.

Step-by-step guides to performing core and advanced procedures are presented in tables for easy comprehension and revision, illustrated by photographs and drawings. Each skill draws on the available evidence base, which is updated regularly on the accompanying Online Resource Centre.

Uniquely, this text develops students' critical thinking skills and ability to deliver child centred care by providing clear links to anatomical, physiological and child development milestones as well as regular nursing alerts which help prevent readers from making common mistakes.

Clearly reflecting the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Essential Skills Clusters for registration and beyond, Clinical Skills for Children's Nursing is designed to support student nurses develop into competent practitioners. Supported by a dedicated Online Resource Centre with up-to-date evidence, realistic scenarios, and a wealth of other tools.

On the Online Resource Centre:

For registered lecturers and mentors:
- Figures from the book, ready to download and use in teaching material

For students:
- Evidence, guidelines and protocols, reviewed and updated every 6 months
- Over 40 interactive scenarios
- Active web links provide a gateway to the articles cited in the book
- Flashcard glossary to help learn key terms

Imelda Coyne, is Professor and Head of Children's Nursing as well as Director of Academic and Professional Affairs at the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin. She is a member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Children's and Young People's Nursing and a member of the International Editorial Board, Journal of Child Health Care.
Fiona Timmins (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the BSc in Nursing at the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Trinity College Dublin. Fiona is an experienced author of several nursing books as well as a Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Nurse Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology.
Freda Neill, is Clinical Skills Manager and Project Manager, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin with responsibility for clinical skills teaching throughout the undergraduate programme.