Amy Karch has found that students learn best when concepts are built upon each other, growing from simple to complex, building on a foundation of understanding. Organized by body systems, this heavily illustrated book organizes essential nursing pharmacology information into focused, easy-to-learn steps. Building key concepts upon each other, the text gives students a solid foundation of understanding. Easy to understand drug prototype boxes are integrated as well as integrated content summaries. The fifth edition includes a completely revamped art program with more images depicting drug actions than any of the book's competitors. The fifth edition also underwent major reorganization to streamline the very functional "Focus on" theme for drug use across the lifespan, cultural and gender considerations, evidence-based practice, patient teaching, herbal and alternative therapies and dosage calculations; a new box, "Focus on Safe Medication Administration;" and totally revamped "Drugs in Focus" table for each classification of drugs. Focused content and focused features equal a focused student. In addition, we've expanded and updated content on psychiatric agents (includes new indications, cautions and precautions), and significantly expanded information on AIDS and therapeutic management. Drug discussions include therapeutic actions and indications, pharmacokinetics, contraindications and cautions and adverse effects. Detailed rationales are presented throughout. Each chapter opens with Learning Objectives and a Glossary of Key Terms, and ends with NCLEX-style questions, and contains a case study-based critical thinking exercise that sets up a situation, shows critical thinking, and then presents a discussion and case-based nursing care guide. Features like this make the book an essential teaching tool. Lippincott's Photo Atlas of Medication Administration comes with this text. Photo Atlas uses the nursing process format to provide step-by-step nursing skills (with rationales). In addition to being completely illustrated, the Photo Atlas also contains documentation guidelines and samples, and Unexpected Situations, which explain how to respond to unanticipated outcomes. Topics include removing medication from an ampule, removing medication from a vial, mixing medications from two vials in one syringe, administering an intradermal injection, and more.