HAVE YOU EVER STRUGGLED to understand a difficult concept or disease process? Did you say to yourself, I just don't get it or Why can't they just say it in plain English? Have you ever had to read and reread a journal article multiple times before you understood it?
I know what you've gone through; I've been in your shoes many times. Here's an example. When I was a new critical care nurse, I couldn't grasp ventilator settings. Talk of tidal volume, FIO2, assist/control, and intermittent mandatory ventilation sent my brain spinning. Not to mention positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and pressure support ventilation; I just got more and more confused. Wasn't the theory behind PEEP and CPAP the same? Why did they have to call it something different?
Down, but not out
No matter what I tried, it wouldn't stick. After a while, I started to doubt that I would ever get the hang of this critical care stuff.
Luckily, one day a respiratory therapist sat me down to explain it in terms I could understand. He even used pictures to illustrate the concepts.
Hey, I thought, it isn't so tough after all. I can understand this critical care stuff.
It happens to everyone
So, you see, you're not alone. Every nurse, no matter how much experience he or she has, struggles with difficult or challenging concepts in nursing. For you, it might be interpreting rhythm strips. For one of your colleagues, it could be calculating drip rates. For a nurse clear across the country, maybe it's assessing heart sounds and identifying murmurs.
What you stumble over isn't the biggest issue, though; it's how you feel every time it happens. You might become frustrated like I did, and your confidence might falter. You may begin to doubt your nursing abilities.
Now I get it!!
It doesn't have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn't be that way.
The journal you have in your hands right now-Nursing made Incredibly Easy!!-was specifically developed to give you those "now I get it!!" moments. Modeled after our successful Incredibly Easy!! book series, the journal's aim is to make your life easier by explaining the really challenging clinical concepts in a refreshingly original, easily understood way. We want to engage you and help boost your confidence in your skills.
Quick quizzes, memory joggers, and humor sprinkled throughout will make learning more fun and effective, keeping ideas clear and fresh in your mind. Detailed clinical artwork will illustrate the most difficult concepts and reinforce what you've learned.
We're assisted by a roster of top-notch clinicians and educators practicing across many specialties in the nursing profession. Like us, these nurses-from peer reviewers to authors to editorial board members-recognize the importance of learning without frustration, and they're committed to making sure the journal never fails to bring a smile to your face and always gives you clear, plain-English explanations of key concepts.
Turning a new page
So here I am, 20 years later-now a nurse practitioner-and I still struggle with some concepts. I accept that I don't know everything and that sometimes I need help.
What I like best about Nursing made Incredibly Easy!! is the generous dash of humor we've mixed in. After all, who said learning has to be boring? Certainly not us!! We promise to entertain and enlighten you and to make sure you aren't left wondering, What did that mean?
So relax, turn the page, and get ready for a new, fun way to learn.
Anne Woods