Nursing – an open access collection
International Nurses Day takes place on 12 May each year, marking the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. This year’s theme, ‘Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives’, calls for the structural changes needed to unlock the full potential of the nursing workforce.
To mark International Nurses Day, we’ve curated an open access collection that brings together titles spanning clinical practice, policy, education and lived experience within nursing and healthcare. Together, they highlight the breadth and impact of contemporary nursing scholarship.
Here are five titles that reflect some of the different themes and perspectives explored across the collection.
1. Fundamentals of Nursing by Christy Bowen, Lindsay Draper and Heather Moore
Designed to align with a nursing fundamentals course, the textbook covers everything from the roles and responsibilities of the profession to the application of critical thinking.
Throughout, key concepts like health assessment, patient safety and medication administration are grounded in real-world clinical settings.
Simulated patient interactions help students build communication skills, while detailed case studies and a focus on Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) support the development of confidence in clinical judgment. Whether preparing for practice or NCLEX examinations, students will find plenty here to support their development.
2. Community Nursing Services in England: An Historical Policy Analysis by Donna Bramwell, Kath Checkland, Jolanta Shields and Pauline Allen
The book paints a detailed picture of a profession continually reshaped by political and structural change. Spanning from the inception of the NHS in 1948 to the present day, the analysis examines how successive governments have influenced the organisation and delivery of community nursing in England.
Beyond the historical account, the book draws out lessons that can inform how community nursing services are organised and delivered in the future. It will be particularly relevant for those studying health policy, public health or community nursing, as well as practitioners and policymakers navigating current reform.
3. Anti-Racist Nursing and Midwifery: A Resource for Students, Practitioners, Educators, and Activists by Anandi Ramamurthy, Sadiq Bhanbhro, Ken Fero and Rachel Ambrose (eds.)
Rooted in the research project ‘Nursing Narratives: Racism and the Pandemic (UKRI/AHRC)’, this book brings together first-person accounts from nurses and midwives reflecting on experiences of institutionalised and interpersonal racism, and the challenges of driving change within healthcare institutions.
The book moves beyond testimony to offer tools for critical reflection and action, making it a practical resource.
It will resonate with students exploring equality, diversity and inclusion in healthcare, and with those interested in workforce wellbeing and retention.
4. Innovative Nursing Care: Education and Research by Klavdija Čuček Trifkovič, Mateja Lorber, Nataša Mlinar Reljić and Gregor Štiglic (eds.)
Longer lifespans bring increasingly complex healthcare needs, and with them a growing demand for nurses equipped to deliver advanced practice.
This book makes the case that strong education and ongoing research are essential to keeping nursing care effective and responsive.
Structured across clinical nursing, holistic nursing care and education in nursing, topics range from ethical issues in palliative care to mobile health applications. For nursing students and practitioners, it provides a useful foundation for strengthening the link between research and practice.
5. Wandering the Wards: An Ethnography of Hospital Care and its Consequences for People Living with Dementia by Katie Featherstone and Andy Northcott
Based on five years of research embedded in acute wards across the UK, this ethnography follows hospital staff as they care for people living with dementia across shifts. The result is a detailed account of everyday hospital life for one of its largest and most vulnerable patient populations.
The book exposes the institutional and ward cultures that shape how dementia patients are treated and the continuities that make those cultures so hard to shift. The examination of routine care and bedside interactions makes it a compelling read for those studying mental health nursing, dementia care or the sociology of health.
To access our new collection, please contact your Kortext Account Manager for more information.
You don’t have to be an existing Kortext customer to benefit from our Open Resources Collection. To find out more, talk to us today.
