Table of Contents 1.Nursing in Today’s Evolving Health Care Environment 2.The History and Social Context of Nursing 3.Nursing’s Pathway to Professionalism 4.Nursing Education in an Evolving Health Care Environment 5.Becoming a Professional Nurse: Defining Nursing and Socialization into Practice 6. Nursing as a Regulated Practice: Legal Issues 7.Ethics: Basic Concepts for Professional Nursing Practice 8.Conceptual and Philosophical Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice 9.Nursing Theory: The Basis for Professional Nursing 10.The Science of Nursing and Evidence-Based Practice 11.Developing Nursing Judgment Through Critical Thinking 12.Communication and Collaboration in Professional Nursing 13.Nurses, Patients, and Families: Caring at the Intersection of Health, Illness, and Culture 14.Health Care in the United States 15.Political Activism in Nursing: Communities, Organizations, Government 16.Nursing Challenge: To Continue to Evolve