Looking for nursing books? We've gathered 19 free nursing books in PDF on topics like fundamentals, clinical skills, procedures, ethics, research, and leadership.
These textbooks and guides are written for nursing students and professionals. From Florence Nightingale's classic text to peer-reviewed OpenStax editions on pharmacology and nutrition for nurses.
Browse by topic or scroll through the full list. Every book is free to read online or download as PDF.
Nursing Fundamentals and Clinical Skills Books
Nursing Fundamentals and Clinical Skills Books
The foundation of every nursing career. These books cover the core clinical skills you need from day one. From basic patient assessment and vital signs to advanced IV therapy. Written for nursing students at every level.
Florence Nightingale's foundational 1859 text on nursing principles, covering ventilation, hygiene, nutrition, observation, and patient care. A classic that shaped modern nursing practice.
Lecture notes covering basic clinical nursing skills including the nursing process, patient assessment, vital signs, wound care, and medication administration. Developed by the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative.
A step-by-step nursing procedure manual covering basic nursing care, medication administration, and specimen collection. Developed by JICA and Khwopa Polytechnic Institute for nursing students.
An Open RN textbook covering advanced nursing skills including IV therapy, blood product administration, central line management, chest tube drainage, and basic ECG interpretation.
A practical guide for nurses transitioning from hospital to UK general practice, covering primary care roles, patient-centered approaches, team working, and career development.
Pharmacology and Nutrition Applied to Nursing Books
Pharmacology and Nutrition Applied to Nursing Books
These OpenStax textbooks teach pharmacology and nutrition from the nurse's perspective. Medication safety, drug classes, and patient-centered nutritional care. Both are 2024 peer-reviewed editions.
A comprehensive OpenStax textbook covering pharmacology from the nurse's perspective, including drug administration, pharmacokinetics, and all major drug classes. 2024 peer-reviewed edition.
A comprehensive OpenStax textbook on nutrition from the nurse's perspective, covering macronutrients, micronutrients, nutrition through the lifespan, and organ-specific nutritional care. 2024 peer-reviewed edition.
Practical guides on nursing procedures and patient communication. Step-by-step instructions for clinical interventions, plus best practices for communicating in healthcare teams.
A comprehensive textbook on nursing procedures covering hygiene, patient care, monitoring, drug administration, injections, and specimen collection. Includes photographic documentation and step-by-step instructions.
Daniel Jirkovský, Marie Hlavácová, Hana Nikodemová, Šárka Tomová
A practical guide on communication skills for nurses by EDTNA/ERCA. Covers communication types, styles, common mistakes, and advanced skills like shared decision making. Includes case studies.
Patient care is the heart of nursing. This book focuses on end-of-life support, written by a certified hospice nurse. Palliative care models, pain management, ethical concerns, and grief. For nurses who provide care when it matters most.
An open textbook on end-of-life nursing care covering palliative care models, pain and symptom management, ethical concerns, nurse-patient communication, and grief. Written by a certified hospice nurse.
Every nurse faces ethical decisions. These books cover the standards and guidelines that shape nursing practice. From the ICN Code of Ethics to ANA documentation principles. Codes, legal frameworks, and ethical decision-making.
The 2021 revised international code defining ethical values, responsibilities, and professional accountabilities for nurses. Covers nurses' duties toward patients, the profession, and global health.
A comprehensive professional code covering six principles (respect, accountability, competence, trust, collaboration, leadership), scope of practice, record keeping, social media, and research ethics. 2025 edition.
Official ANA guide identifying six essential principles for nursing documentation, covering communication within healthcare teams, protection systems, and standardized terminologies.
A university course book covering ethico-legal aspects of nursing, ethical theories, principles of healthcare ethics, ethical decision-making models, informed consent, and nursing communication.
A comprehensive textbook on nursing ethics covering moral philosophy, ethical frameworks, professional regulation, consent, confidentiality, safeguarding, and end-of-life ethical decisions.
Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Books
Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Books
Good nursing practice is built on evidence. These resources teach you how to read, evaluate, and apply research in clinical settings. Research methods for nurses, plus a practical manual co-developed with the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford.
A course guide on nursing research methodology covering the research process, literature review, research design, sampling, data collection, and critiquing research reports. From the National Open University of Nigeria.
A practical manual for implementing evidence-based practice in clinical settings. Co-developed with the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Oxford. Covers formulating questions, searching evidence, critical appraisal, and integration.
For nurses moving into leadership roles. These books cover quality improvement in healthcare systems. From NHS improvement tools to global healthcare strategies. Practical guides for nurses who want to lead change.
A comprehensive review of quality improvement concepts, tools, and methods in healthcare. Published by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. Includes case studies and practical scenarios.
A guide to enhancing health care systems using evidence-based improvement science models. Covers QI strategies from 20+ countries for HIV, nutrition, NCDs, and tuberculosis. Published by FHI 360 (2017).
