Clinical Skills Manual for Maternity and Pediatric Nursing

The all-in-one resource for maternal-newborn and pediatric nursing skills

Designed for both the nursing student and the practitioner, Clinical Skills Manual for Maternity and Pediatric Nursing can serve as both a text companion and an essential reference for step-by-step procedures in clinical settings. Showcasing more than 150 skills commonly performed on childbearing women, newborns, and children, this portable reference guides the reader through protective methods, pain assessment and management, administration of medicine and irrigation, physical assessment, and other information crucial to nurses using full-color photographs and rationales. Throughout the manual, boxes and tables highlight important safety issues, growth and development considerations, teaching for families, and clinical tips. Appendices provide information on growth grids and calculation of body surface area for medication administration.

Ruth C. McGillis Bindler received her BSN from Cornell University–New York Hospital School of Nursing in New York, New York. She worked in oncology nursing at Memorial–Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and then moved to Wisconsin and became a public health nurse in Dane County. Thus began her commitment to work with children as she visited children and their families at home, and served as a school nurse for several elementary, middle, and high schools. As a result of this interest in child healthcare needs, she earned her MS in child development from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. A move to Washington State was accompanied by a new job as a faculty member at the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in Spokane, now the Washington State University College of Nursing. Dr. Bindler feels fortunate to have been involved for 38 years in the growth of this nursing education consortium, which is a combination of public and private universities and offers undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees. She taught theory and clinical courses in child health nursing, cultural diversity, graduate research, pharmacology, and assessment; served as lead faculty for child health nursing; was the first director of the PhD program; and served as Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, which include Master of Nursing, Post-Masters certificates, and PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. She recently retired from this position and serves the college and profession as a professor emeritus, continuing work with graduate students and research. Her first professional book, Pediatric Medications, was published in 1981, and she has continued to publish articles and books in the areas of pediatric medications and pediatric health. Her research was focused in the area of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular risk factors in children. Ethnic diversity and interprofessional collaboration have been other themes in her work. Dr. Bindler believes that her role as a faculty member and administrator enabled her to learn continually, to foster the development of students in nursing, and to participate fully in the profession of nursing. In addition to teaching, research, publication, and leadership, she enhances her life by service in several professional and community activities, and by outdoor activities with her family.

Jane W. Ball graduated from The Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland, and subsequently received a BS from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She worked in the surgical, emergency, and outpatient units of the Johns Hopkins Children’s Medical and Surgical Center, first as a staff nurse and then as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Thus began her career as a pediatric nurse and advocate for children’s health needs. She obtained both a master of public health and doctor of public health degree from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health with a focus on maternal and child health. After graduation, she became the chief of child health services for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. In this capacity, she oversaw the state-funded well-child clinics and explored ways to improve education for the state’s community health nurses. After relocating to Texas, she joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing to teach community pediatrics to registered nurses returning to school for a BSN. During this time she became involved in writing her first textbook, Mosby’s Guide to Physical Examination, which is currently in its eighth edition. After relocating to the Washington, DC, area, she joined the Children’s National Medical Center to manage a federal project to teach instructors of emergency medical technicians from all states about the special care children need during an emergency. Exposure to the shortcomings of the emergency medical services system in the late 1980s with regard to pediatric care was a career-changing event. With federal funding, she developed educational curricula for emergency medical technicians and emergency nurses to help them provide improved care for children. A textbook entitled Pediatric Emergencies, A Manual for Prehospital Providers was developed from these educational ventures. She served as the executive director of the federally funded Emergency Medical Services for Children National Resource Center for 15 years, providing consultation and resource development for state health agencies, health professionals, families, and advocates to improve the emergency healthcare system for children. Dr. Ball is a consultant for the American College of Surgeons, assisting states to develop and enhance their trauma systems. She is also collaborating on a pediatric explosion injury electronic curriculum and virtual pediatric trauma center conceptual design as a consultant to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Marcia L. London received her BSN and School Nurse Certificate from Plattsburgh State University in Plattsburgh, New York, and her MSN in pediatrics as a clinical nurse specialist from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. She worked as a pediatric nurse, and began her teaching career at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital Affiliate Program. Mrs. London began teaching at Beth-El School of Nursing and Health Science in 1974 (now part of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs) after opening the first intensive care nursery at Memorial Hospital of Colorado Springs. She has served in many faculty positions at Beth-El, including assistant director of the School of Nursing. Mrs. London obtained her postmaster’s Neonatal Nurse Practitioner certificate in 1983, and subsequently developed the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) certificate and the master’s NNP program at Beth-El. She is active nationally in neonatal nursing and was involved in the development of National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner educational program guidelines. Mrs. London pursued her interest in college student learning by taking doctoral classes in higher education administration and adult learning at the University of Denver in Colorado. She feels fortunate to be involved in the education of her future colleagues and teaches undergraduate education. Mrs. London and her husband, David, enjoy reading, travel, and hockey games. They have two sons: Craig, who lives in Florida with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Hannah, works with Internet companies; and Matthew, who works in computer teleresearch. Both are more than willing to give Mom helpful hints about computers.

Michele R. Davidson completed her ADN degree from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She has worked in multiple women’s health specialty areas including postpartum, newborn nursery, high-risk nursery, labor and delivery, reproductive endocrinology, gynecology medical-surgical, and oncology units as a registered nurse while obtaining a BSN from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Davidson earned her MSN and a nurse-midwifery certificate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and continued to work as a full-scope nurse-midwife for 16 years. She has delivered over 1000 babies during her career as a nurse-midwife. She completed her PhD in nursing administration and healthcare policy at George Mason University (GMU) and began teaching at GMU in 1999 while continuing in her role as a nurse- midwife. Dr. Davidson serves as the Coordinator for the PhD program in the School of Nursing. She has an interest in women’s mental health and focuses her research on perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Davidson also has an interest in the care of individuals with disabilities; she serves as a member of the Loudoun County Disability Advisory Committee and is a disability advocate in her community. She was a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives Certification Council, the body that writes the national certification examination for certified nurse-midwives. She is a member of numerous editorial and advisory boards and has a passion for writing. In 2000, Dr. Davidson developed an immersion clinical experience for GMU students on a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay. In 2003, she founded the Smith Island Foundation, a nonprofit organization in which she served as executive director for 8 years. Dr. Davidson has also completed certifications in lactation consulting, forensic nursing, and surgical first assistant. In 2012, her book, A Nurse’s Guide to Women’s Mental Health, won an American Journal of Nursing Book Award. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her mother, writing, gardening, Internet surfing, and spending time on Smith Island with her nurse-practitioner husband, Nathan, and their four active children, Hayden, Chloe, Caroline, and Grant. Dr. Davidson and her family love the Eastern Shore of Maryland and continue to be part-time residents of Smith Island.