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Nurs Admin Q
Book Reviews
Books for Nursing
Administrators
Luther Christman, PhD, RN, FAAN
Leadership Roles and Management Func-
tions in Nursing Theory and Applica-
tion (fourth edition), Bessie L. Marquis and
Carol J. Huston. Philadelphia, Pa, Lippincott
Williams and Wilkins, 2003. 651 pages,
softcover.
This text consists of 7 sections and 24 chap-
ters. The sections are (1) a new approach to
leadership management (2 chapters), (2) roles
and functions in planning (4 chapters), (3)
roles and functions in organizing (3 chapters),
(4) roles and functions in staffing (3 chapters),
(5) roles and functions in directing (5 chap-
ters), (6) roles and functionsin controlling
(4 chapters), and (7) professional and social
issues in leadership and management (3 chap-
ters).
The authors are both from California State
University. Their long relationship has stimu-
lated deeply innovative and useful approaches
to management comprehension. The grow-
ing insight into the sublties of management in
general plays a useful role in the application
to nursing. The burgeoning growth of this
area needs to be used productively in nurs-
ing care to expedite the nursing care of pa-
tients. This adds greatly to the quality of inter-
disciplinary care and how patients can bene-
fit to a great extent. Thus, an ethical overlay
is present as well as stronger scientific input.
The very rapid growth of both physical and
Nurse consultant, Chapel Hill, Tenn.
Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 225–226

c 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
behavioral sciences will be a constant prod to
clinicians to constantly move with this pace
and to develop methods of care that make
nursing care more precise and ease the stress
on patients. If all registered nurses were able
to function in a manner portrayed in this text
there would be a great increase in the respect
and admiration for nurses.
Conducting Research in Long-Term Care
Settings, Brenda Lewis Cleary. New York,
NY, Springer Publishing Company, 2003. 136
pages, hardcover, $32.95.
This book is designed to help nurses in
their understanding of patients in nursing
home environments and the physical and
emotional problems inherent in populations
of this category. There are 7 chapters to en-
able the reader to conceptualize the needed
approach to this growing entity of care. These
are (1) long-term care in the United States, (2)
the state of science of long-term care research,
(3) ethical issues in long-term care research,
(4) issues of research design in long-term care,
(5) gaining access for research, and (7) dis-
semination of thefindings. A substantial sec-
tion on references is also included to enable
the readers to explore this entity in a helpful
way.
The successful prolongation of life that
is occurring because of steady scientific re-
search into health, better living and working
conditions, and the steady attention of the
media to enhance the awareness of this con-
cept are all tending to increase the population
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226 NURSING ADMINISTRATION QUARTERLY/JULY–SEPTEMBER 2004
of aging citizens who are requiring long-term
care. This situation raises the need for more
nurses to be competent in clinical research,
and to steadily investigate as to whether all
the new clinical knowledge being developed
is steadily applied to individuals in need of
long-term care. This text raises the ques-
tions of this type of care clearly and should
stimulate nurses to aspire to increase the care
of this enlarging group of patients. Nurses
have a key role in enabling these patients to
have richer outcomes in their care and to
lessen the stress of coping with the aging
process.
Introduction to Health Care Economics
and Financial Management (fundamen-
tal concepts with practical applications),
Susan J. Penner. Philadelphia, Pa, Lippincott
Williams and Wilkins, 2004. 323 pages, soft-
cover.
This very complete text is divided into 6
sections with their respective chapters. These
are (1) introduction to health economics and
managed care; (2) budgets, budget monitor-
ing, and budget preparation; (3) financial anal-
ysis tools; (4) understanding and using fi-
nancial reports; (5) applying budgeting and
financial analysis: business plans and grant
proposals; and (6) international perspectives
and future trends. The appendices are large
and useful as is the glossary.
The text is very sophisticated and so it en-
ables the reader to gain a worthwhile insight
into the rapidly changing environments and
system of care both nationally and interna-
tionally. It demonstrates with firm data how
poorly our care compares to other industrial
nations in both quality and cost. A weak point
is the comments on the nurse shortage. Two
studies done in 2 major universities show that
most women nurses work only a little over
30% full time from the time they graduate until
retirement time compared to men who work
96% of the time. Thus, if the profession was
only 30% male the shortage would disappear
or be more easily managed. The statements
from the power back in Washington that they
never will force women to be democratic has
existed since the affirmative action legislation
has been enacted.
This book will be of strong assistance in en-
abling nurses to plan more exactly about how
to cope successfully with the steady changes
in care—especially at the international level.
Keeping apace all the other health profes-
sions in this country will require a steady re-
organization of nursing care in all its compo-
nents as documented in this well-organized
text.