Updated to reflect the next-generation NCLEX® Examination, including careful attention to NCLEX® examination formatting such as boldfacing key words and referencing “healthcare providers” versus “physicians” Enhanced emphasis on application-level questions and above, including an increased percentage of alternate-format questions Emphasis on outpatient scenarios, such as those in Nurse Practitioner-run urgent care centers and other nurse-managed facilities to help introduce beginning students to advanced practice nursing roles Improved formatting of Definition exercises including the addition of a brief instruction line to guide the student in how to complete the exercises, plus increased spacing between terms for greater clarity UNIQUE! Step-by-step approach builds student skills in critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and clinical reasoning, walking students through the author's research-based critical thinking model More than 100 true-to-life cases demonstrate how cases progress and complications arise, helping students develop increasingly sophisticated levels of critical thinking Emphasis on prioritization helps students prepare for the NCLEX® Examination and for nursing practice Integrated NCLEX Examination review helps students apply critical thinking skills to test questions and prepares students for the state boards Integration of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies and the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice equips students for safe practice and interprofessional collaboration Updated throughout to reflect the latest research and critical thinking and clinical reasoning