Includes bibliographical references and index.

Opportunities for specialty nursing practice / Bonnie Bullough, Vern L. Bullough --
Nursing organizations / Bonnie Bullough, Vern L. Bullough --
Nursing laws and regulations as they reflect societal issues / Milene A. Megel --
Overview of legal issues for nurses / Andrew Feldman, Joy Feldman --
Nursing theory: history and critique / Bonnie Bullough --
Nurse-midwifery today / Lisa Monagle --
The role of the nurse as a mandated reporter of child abuse / Adele R. Pillitteri --
Adolescent pregnancy and sexual activity / Mattie L. Rhodes --
Ethical and legal controversies in critical care nursing / Yvonne K. Scherer, Michael H. Ackerman. HIV testing: patients' right versus nurses' rights / Ann Seidl --
Institutionalization versus noninstitutionalization of the elderly: a major issue in nursing / Linda M. Janelli --
Dilemmas posed by environmental issues / Vern L. Bullough --
Nursing care in a culturally diverse nation / Marilyn Hyche Johnson --
Health care on the Mexican-American border / Patricia T. Castiglia --
Conveying professionalism: working against the old stereotypes / Nancy Campbell-Heider, Cynthia Allen Hart, Martha Dewey Bergren.

This textbook introduces students to issues in health care relevant to nursing, including easy-to-understand overviews of nursing theory, licensure and regulation, and legal issues.