Physical Examination & Health Assessment

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Summary: NURSING FACULTY, PLEASE READ THIS!
Review: Attention: Nursing School Faculty, please read

As a student I am not in a position to compare Jarvis' book to any others like it so I am not going to pretend that I can. I will say that the easy writing and abundance of pictures makes this book a book we love to study. It is easy to understand and seems to balance simplicity with detail, not being overly in-depth on background issues, yet giving just enough information to help us understand both the theory and practice of physical examination and health assessment.

BUT HERE'S THE RUB...
After two months of use the book is falling apart. Entire sections have detached from the bindings, other random pages slip out singly from their location. Our use of the book has involved only reading it. There has not been any abuse, in fact the cover looks almost new. There isn't even any bending of the corners which would point to excessive use. Other students in the nursing program at ASU have been having similar issues.

Why can a book like this that costs over seventy dollars be made in such a cheap manner? Nobody holds them accountable. I plan on keeping my textbooks long after school, using them as references throughout my career, but this one isn't even surviving a semester! Students can't hold the publisher accountable because we do not have the power of choice. We have to buy the books that our professors choose to use. It must be the instructors who step up and force publishers to do better.

I have contacted the publisher regarding the issue. I will post a follow-up to this review as they either take responsibility or do not for their slipshod product.

Rating:
Summary: Simple down to earth
Review: Compared to Bates' book I find this one more easier to read and understand. Has more pictures and more guidance what to look for at half price. Bates' may have similar information but this book better itemize it. book has more pages but pages are less dense.every chapter starts with short anatomy and than examination, what to ask and why and what to examine, Normal range of findings and abnormal findings. Bates' has also abnormal findings slightly less examples but for normal findings it does not say what is normal or what should be normal. anyway I liked both of them but I would get this book first.

Rating:
Summary: Physical Examination and Health Assessment
Review: For anyone who needs to understand how to perform a physical examination and a health assessment on a client this is the book for you!!!! The text is well written, easy to understand and helpful in allowing you, the student to become efficient in P.E. ... chech this text out!!!!! MB

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Summary: An excellent nursing text that will enhance my career needs!
Review: I am a registered nurse with an Associates Degree in Nursing. I am currently enrolled at Governors State University with the goal of obtaining a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I am presently taking a course in Health Assessment and the required textbook is Mosby's 2nd edition of Health and Physical Assessment. Within two weeks of the beginning of the course; a classmate and I decided the text was not thorough enough for our present level as nursing students with several years of nursing experience. We felt we needed a textbook which would enable us to enhance the skills we already possess and delve into the rationale for the procedures we have never had the opportunity to perform; but expect to in our future careers as Nurse Practicioners. Therefore we went to Rush University Bookstore today and were amazed at the variety of texts on this subject. We chose Physical Examination and Health Assessment by Carolyn Jarvis because of the marvelous text layout which seemed to have been prepared especially for nurses in our situation. Each chapter not only discusses the topic, but it explains the rationales of each assessment and expounds upon each subject and fully explains how to assess each system in depth. As an African American woman I can truly appreciate the time and effort that was taken to provide accurate, extensive information on the assessment of hair, skin, and nails of non-white patients. The transcultural highlights are excellent. The information reguarding the assessment of tatoos is also an excellent addition to current nursing textbooks because of its prevalence in our society. The section in each chapter on abnormal findings provides nursing students with a wonderful outlet to improve critical thinking skills. The need for the normal finding explanations cannot be overstated due to the focus of preventive nursing in this age. The illustrations in the text leave no doubt as to the appearance of certain primary lesions that have not been visualized in the clinical setting. The extent of information on labs performed in the nutritional assessment leave no stone unturned in evaluation of this critical area. The area on assessment of the head and neck provides a wealth of information on the complete assessment of the underlying structures through palpation of the overlying skin surfaces. I also admire the explanations included on the proper usage of the otoscope, opthalmoscope and tuning fork. The added Laboratory Manual and Pocket Companion are invaluable resources. I truly enjoyed learning about the author in the synopsis in the Pocket Companion. Her experience in a variety of areas were an added incentive for my purchase. Every area of the textbook was thoroughly used for providing invaluable information. Even the front inside cover gives commonly used translations from English to Spanish for patients nurses can no longer afford to ignore in any setting. The back inside cover acknowledges the importance of universal precautions in our current society. My classmate and I were very impressed also with the area on vital signs which expounded on the multiple reasons for inaccurate and erroneous blood pressure readings. How often have these problems affected the recorded vital signs? I could continue, but suffice it to say that this textbook will have a special place in my heart as well as on my desk for the remainder of my career. I sincerely thank the author, her contributors, and the publisher for such an innovative and pertinent text that will survive into the next millenium. BRAVO!

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Summary: Physical Examination and Health Assessment
Review: This is the best Physical Assessment book since Bates. I would recommend this book to all Nurse Practitioners. It is definitely an asset, and a wonderful source of current information. It also suggests implications for the culturally diversed patient.

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Summary: Outstanding resource for Advance Practice Nurses
Review: This is the best Physical Assessment book since Bates. I would recommend this book to all Nurse Practitioners. It is definitely an asset, and a wonderful source of current information. It also suggests implications for the culturally diversed patient.