AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing, 4th Edition (Paperback)

AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing, 4th Edition, is the paperback textbook endorsed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses that gives new ICU nurses the core knowledge needed to care safely for critically ill adults.

Published by McGraw Hill, this is the book many hospitals hand to nurses starting a critical care orientation. It is organized in building blocks: the essentials every new clinician must know, common pathologic conditions and how they are managed, advanced concepts for complex patients, and a reference section with normal lab values, hemodynamic troubleshooting guides, drug tables and cardiac rhythm guides. The structure moves from basics to advanced topics in the order a nurse actually learns them.

What's included

• AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing, 4th Edition, complete text
• Paperback binding
• Publisher: McGraw Hill
• ISBN-13: 9781260116755
• Four sections: The Essentials, Pathologic Conditions, Advanced Concepts, Key Reference Information
• Endorsed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)

Who it's for

New graduate nurses entering an ICU, step-down or progressive care unit. Experienced med-surg nurses transferring into critical care. Nurse residency and critical care orientation programs, nursing students in a critical care elective, and CCRN exam candidates who want a single readable foundation text.

Why this edition

The fourth edition keeps the practical, bedside-first approach that made the earlier editions the AACN-endorsed standard, with content updated across hemodynamic monitoring, ventilation, pharmacology and common ICU conditions. It is deliberately shorter than the large critical care references, which is why orientation programs prefer it for the first months on the unit.

Frequently asked questions

Is AACN Essentials of Critical Care Nursing good for CCRN prep?

It is a strong foundation text for the CCRN exam because it follows the AACN body of knowledge, though most candidates pair it with a dedicated question bank.

Who publishes the AACN Essentials book?

McGraw Hill publishes it, and the content is endorsed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Is this the adult or pediatric version?

This is the adult critical care text. AACN publishes a separate pediatric essentials book.

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