This thoroughly revised and updated edition features a streamlined, visually-oriented approach to nursing skills. The full-color design, hundreds of photos and drawings, and clear writing style appeal to all levels of learners. This revision addresses expanding nursing roles and changes in practice, with the addition of higher level skills and increased coverage of care in the home, community, and long-term care settings. The unique approach of clustering similar and related skills makes learning easier for students. * Includes 166 basic, intermediate and advanced skills * Provides standard beginning and completion protocols for each skill to avoid repetition. * Combines similar and related skills, such as measuring temperature with different types of thermometers, to reflect the way they are commonly taught and performed. * Contains concise, clear two-column format which is easy to read and follow. * Features rationales for key steps to help students understand and remember why specific techniques are used. * Includes Nurse alerts to focus on safety issues or critical steps in the skill, and guide students in providing safe, effective care. * Includes glove logo to provide a visual reminder to use gloves for infection control practices. * Provides over 1,000 full color photographs and drawings showing how steps are performed. * Incorporates the 5-step nursing process to provide a logical, consistent format for presenting skills. * Contains Critical Thinking Exercises at end of each chapter to help students develop clinical decision-making abilities. (Includes a FREE MERLIN website with skills checklists at:www.harcourthealth.com/MERLIN/Elkin/)