Concept-Based Curriculum (CBC)

Whether your program is required to transition to a concept-based nursing curriculum or you’re simply interested in the benefits of teaching conceptual skills in nursing, Elsevier offers a wealth of expert guidance, tools, and resources to help you successfully make the transition to a CBC.

Choose a Concept-based Curriculum to help your students.

A concept based learning curriculum is ideal for overcoming content saturation in nursing education by categorizing and organizing information into broader principles, or concepts. For students, this means gaining the skills to recognize the larger patterns and relationships that come with patient care and illness.

“It’s a better educational method for the students to understand concepts.”

Giddens “Simplifies” Concept-Based Curriculum at Central Wyoming College

Read the success story.

Conceptual learning encourages students to focus on big ideas (or concepts) and apply information or knowledge to specific situations for context. Learning complex subject matter, such as nursing and health care, requires the ability to transfer what has been previously learned into problem solving activities in the context of clinical situations.

Jean Giddens, PhD, RN, FAAN

Concept-Based Clinical Nursing Skills

Concept-Based Clinical Nursing Skills, 2nd Edition

Unlike any other text, Stein and Hollen incorporate an overarching framework of seven critical concepts — accuracy, person-centered care, infection control, safety, communication, evaluation, and health maintenance — to drive home the importance of these key themes in performing nursing skills and developing nursing competencies. Learn more.

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Mastering Concept-Based Teaching, 2nd Edition

Whether you teach in an LPN, ADN, BSN, or MSN program, this insightful book offers all the strategies and guidance you need to plan, develop, and deliver an effective concept-based curriculum. Learn more.

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Concepts for Nursing Practice, 3rd Edition

Written by conceptual learning expert Jean Giddens, this proven text is the only one of its kind exclusively focused on explaining broad concepts as a basis for helping students make conceptual connections and using that knowledge to locate, analyze, and apply nursing specifics.

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Exemplar-linked titles for RN programs:

Anatomy & Physiology, 10th Edition

Patton

2019

ISBN: 9780323528900

Concept-Based Clinical Nursing Skills, 2nd Edition

Loren Stein and Connie J Hollen

2023

ISBN: 9780323827409

Critical Care Nursing, 9th Edition

Linda D. Urden, Kathleen M. Stacy and Mary E. Lough

2021

ISBN: 9780323642958

Essentials for Nursing Practice, 9th Edition

Potter, Perry, Stockert & Hall

2019

ISBN: 9780323481847

Fundamentals of Nursing, 10th Edition

Potter

2020

ISBN: 9780323677721

Clinical Nursing Skills and Techniques, 9th Edition

Anne Griffin Perry, Patricia A. Potter and Wendy Ostendorf

2017

ISBN: 9780323400695

Health Assessment for Nursing Practice, 7th Edition

Susan F. Wilson and Jean Foret Giddens

2021

ISBN: 9780323661195

Health Informatics: An Interprofessional Approach, 2nd Edition

Nelson & Staggers

2018

ISBN: 9780323402316

Nursing Today, 10th Edition

Zerwekh

2020

ISBN: 9780323642088

Leading and Managing in Nursing, 7th Edition

Yoder-Wise

2018

ISBN: 9780323449137

Maternal Child Nursing Care, 6th Edition

Shannon E. Perry, Marilyn J. Hockenberry, Deitra Leonard Lowdermilk, David Wilson, Kathryn Rhodes Alden and Mary Catherine Cashion

2017

ISBN: 9780323549387

Medical-Surgical Nursing, 10th Edition

Donna D. Ignatavicius, M. Linda Workman, Cherie R. Rebar and Nicole M. Heimgartner

2020

ISBN: 9780323612425

Nutritional Foundations and Clinical Applications, 7th Edition

Grodner, Escott-Stump and Dorner

2019

ISBN: 9780323544900

Understanding Pathophysiology, 7th Edition

Huether

2019

ISBN: 9780323639088

Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing, 11th Edition

Harding

2019

ISBN: 9780323551496

Lehne's Pharmacology for Nursing Care, 10th Edition

Jacqueline Burchum and Laura Rosenthal

2018

ISBN: 9780323512275

Pharmacology and the Nursing Process, 9th Edition

Lilley, Collins and Snyder

2019

ISBN: 9780323529495

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Exemplar-linked titles for PN programs:

Foundations of Nursing, 8th Edition

Cooper & Gosnell

2019

ISBN: 9780323484367

Foundations and Adult Health Nursing, 8th Edition

Cooper & Gosnell

2019

ISBN: 9780323484374

Basic Geriatric Nursing, 7th Edition

Williams

2019

ISBN: 9780323554558

Success in Practical/Vocational Nursing, 9th Edition

Patricia Knecht

2020

ISBN: 9780323683722

Adult Health Nursing, 8th Edition

Cooper & Gosnell

2019

ISBN: 9780323484381

Medical-Surgical Nursing, 10th Edition

Donna D. Ignatavicius, M. Linda Workman, Cherie R. Rebar and Nicole M. Heimgartner

2020

ISBN: 9780323612425

Clayton's Basic Pharmacology for Nurses, 18th Edition

Willihnganz

2019

ISBN: 9780323550611

Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology, 10th Edition

Constance G Visovsky, Cheryl H Zambroski and Shirley Hosler

2021

ISBN: 9780323755351

Foundations of Mental Health Care, 6th Edition

Morrison-Valfre

2017

ISBN: 9780323354929

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Nursing Concepts Online

Nursing Concepts

Elsevier’s Nursing Concepts Online (NCO) is a fully integrated online nursing course solution that incorporates active learning with supporting materials such as quizzes, case studies, and simulations to implement a concept-based curriculum.

NCO includes:

  • Adaptive Quizzing

    A comprehensive bank of adaptive questions allows you to assign pre-built quizzes to test mastery by Giddens concept, as well as enable students to create custom quizzes as a self-study tool!

  • Exemplars

    The complete list of exemplars as seen and discussed in Giddens’ Concepts for Nursing Practice are incorporated throughout! Plus, priority exemplars link directly to Elsevier’s Core Collection library on VST for titles purchased and used in your curriculum.

  • Interrelated Concepts

    Interrelated concept images from Giddens’ Concepts for Nursing Practice are included for every concept.

  • Case Studies

    Model case studies from Giddens’ Concepts for Nursing Practice offer additional interactive reflection questions and answer guidelines.

  • Patient Reviews

    HESI patient reviews are incorporated into concept folders for selected concepts.

  • Test-Bank

    The RN test banks from the Giddens’ Concepts for Nursing Practice Evolve Resources are incorporated into the course, with results that feed into the grade book.

  • Self-Assessment Questions

    More than 500 interactive review questions enable students to further assess their understanding of concepts.

  • SimChart®

    The SimChart for Nursing educational EHR product offers pre-published case studies and detailed simulations (including skills drills) to assist you in effectively implementing simulations.

  • Clinical Nursing Skills Online

    Clinical skills videos organized by concept include safety checklists, equipment photos, printable equipment lists, delegation information, preparation information, follow-up instructions, documentation instructions, and review questions that feed to the grade book.

  • Instructor Resources

    Enhanced instructor resources help ease the transition for new concept-based curriculums and allow you to get the most out of NCO.

CBC Training

On-demand and live training

Learn how to leverage NCO to further your concept-based curriculum’s success!

See NCO Training