Professional Nursing: Concepts & Challenges

**Selected for 2026 Doody's Core Titles in Fundamentals**

Learn what it means to be a professional nurse — the history, values and standards, and commitment to lifelong learning. Professional Nursing: Concepts & Challenges, 11th Edition, equips you with the latest professional nursing practices to positively impact your career. This easy-to-read text provides insight into the current state of the profession and thoroughly examines standards and scope of practice, transition into professional practice, educational patterns, health care delivery systems, critical thinking, research and evidence-based practice, political activism, and nursing's future challenges.Professional Profiles boxes provide perspectives from nurses in the fields of pediatric palliative care, nurse anesthesia, midwifery, military, and moreCase Study boxes feature scenarios involving relevant issues in patient careConsidering Culture boxes highlight the impact of culture in regard to a nurse's role and responsibilities and the patient's healthcare experienceEvidence-Based Practice boxes identify leading findings in nursing topics and trends like staffing research, chronic disease experiences, ethics, legal issues, and developing clinical judgmentNurses Doing Research boxes highlight problems identified in patient care and the ongoing efforts to find patient interventionsDiscussions on the implications of social media on nursing include ethics and boundariesHistorical Notes highlight little-known stories of heroism in the nursing profession.Key terms are bolded where defined in the textLearning outcomes are presented at the chapter openingsConcepts and Challenges and Ideas for Further Exploration at the end of the chapters help with review and test prepNEW! Coverage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) explores its emerging role in healthcareNEW! Expanded coverage includes the latest information on social media and the novice nurse, healthcare technology, self-care, and burnout