Psychology for Nurses

From the authors

'We wanted to write a psychology textbook that would be useful and relevant for student nurses from all backgrounds with a range of professional aspirations. In this way we strove to be inclusive and demonstrate the importance of psychology in both nursing and in health care in general. We are both passionate about psychology and communicating its relevance and effectiveness in nursing practice. We hope that this clearly shines through each of the chapters in this book.'

Psychology for Nurses is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to psychology, its practical relevance and how it can be applied in day to day nursing practice. Its application is diverse, ranging from caring for patients to working as part of a team, and importantly, being reflective in your own practice.

Support for learning is provided through:

• Case studies - provide a range of scenarios across all branches of nursing designed to illustrate the importance of the role of psychology in healthcare.
• Think about this questions throughout the text which encourage self-reflection and self-awareness in relation to your practice.
• Research in focus  gives recent examples of research in psychology related to health and nursing.
• Check your understanding   provides questions at the end of each chapter to test knowledge.
• Further reading and Useful weblinks point the way forward for continued and more in-depth study.
• Media examples give examples of psychology in film and literature.

This book has been designed to support adult, child and mental health student nurses at undergraduate level, particularly those on the pre-registration nursing diploma and Bsc (Hons) in Nursing, as well as post-graduate conversion courses.

Devinder Rana is Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at Birmingham City University

Professor Dominic Upton is Head of Psychology and Health Sciences at the University of Worcester. He is a Chartered Health Psychologist and teaches psychology to nurses and health care professionals.