Gerontologic Nursing

From The Critics

Reviewer: Robert Topp, PhD, RN(Medical College of Ohio School of Nursing)
Description: This is one of a series of nine reviews designed to help nursing students review content and prepare for examinations. The text is divided into 12 chapters and a final section that includes review questions. Each chapter includes an overview, highlights, glossary, and a chapter test. The end of chapter tests as well as the final section include rationales for the correct answers.
Purpose: The NSDA Review Series is designed to help nursing students review course content and prepare for tests, a worthy objective. The text approaches these objectives, but because of the rapidly advancing state of science in this field, the content maybe dated.
Audience: The series was introduced for nursing students reviewing gerontological content and preparing for tests. This is appropriate for undergraduate students only and provides a basic overview and review of gerontology. It does not address other health-related issues (i.e., social, economic, spiritual).
Features: The book contains sparse four-color drawings; there are no actual pictures of older adults with disorders. The text contains no reference to previous research or standard tests. The table of contents is brief and there is no index for the total book. Finding information on a specific topic is difficult. The chapter overviews should be incorporated into the contents. The book is straightforward and easily approached. The chapter and end of text review questions are helpful particularly when the method is included.
Assessment: This is a basic review of gerontological nursing content. Each topic's review consists of outlines and lists. This method of delivering content does not provide rationale for specific notions, nor does it facilitate phenomenological critical thinking necessary for the student/practitioner to approach clients individually. The development of critical thinking would distract the reader from the basic objectives of the text (i.e., to memorize content in order to pass an examination). The practice questions do attempt to provide rationale for nursing actions but are too few in number to actually facilitate critical thinking about the gerontological content.

Robert Topp

This is one of a series of nine reviews designed to help nursing students review content and prepare for examinations. The text is divided into 12 chapters and a final section that includes review questions. Each chapter includes an overview, highlights, glossary, and a chapter test. The end of chapter tests as well as the final section include rationales for the correct answers. The NSDA Review Series is designed to help nursing students review course content and prepare for tests, a worthy objective. The text approaches these objectives, but because of the rapidly advancing state of science in this field, the content maybe dated. The series was introduced for nursing students reviewing gerontological content and preparing for tests. This is appropriate for undergraduate students only and provides a basic overview and review of gerontology. It does not address other health-related issues (i.e., social, economic, spiritual). The book contains sparse four-color drawings; there are no actual pictures of older adults with disorders. The text contains no reference to previous research or standard tests. The table of contents is brief and there is no index for the total book. Finding information on a specific topic is difficult. The chapter overviews should be incorporated into the contents. The book is straightforward and easily approached. The chapter and end of text review questions are helpful particularly when the method is included. This is a basic review of gerontological nursing content. Each topic's review consists of outlines and lists. This method of delivering content does not provide rationale for specific notions, nor does it facilitate phenomenological criticalthinking necessary for the student/practitioner to approach clients individually. The development of critical thinking would distract the reader from the basic objectives of the text (i.e., to memorize content in order to pass an examination). The practice questions do attempt to provide rationale for nursing actions but are too few in number to actually facilitate critical thinking about the gerontological content.

2 Stars from Doody