Karen K. Gittings • Rhonda M. Brogdon • Frances H. Cornelius
Medical-
Surgical
An Unfolding
Case Study
Review
Nursing
Test Success
l Case studies offer relief
from endless Q & A
review
l Encourages “think like a
nurse” approach
l Utilizes all types of
NCLEX-style questions
l Web links to supporting
multimedia content
, Medical-Surgical Nursing Test Success
Gitting_95760_PTR_FM_05-17-13_i-xvi.indd i 21/06/13 12:28 PM
, Karen K. Gittings, DNP, RN, CNE, Alumnus CCRN, is an assistant professor of nursing at
Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina. Karen received her diploma in nursing
from the Washington Hospital School of Nursing and her BSN from the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County campus. She received her MSN with specialization in nursing education and
her DNP from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Karen achieved certification
in online instruction in 2011. Karen has extensive experience in critical care nursing and has
been a certified critical care registered nurse (CCRN) since 1991. Her areas of teaching expertise
are medical-surgical nursing, critical care, and cardiac nursing. She has taught both junior-
and senior-level undergraduate, baccalaureate nursing students in the classroom and clinical
settings. Karen’s work on the topic of nurses and body art has been published in Nursing
2012 and Nursing Management. She also contributed to Fast Facts for Developing a Nursing
Academic Portfolio (2012). Karen has also presented nationally on the topics of “Intravenous
Education through Simulation” and “Developing an Effective Nurse Educator Academic Portfolio
for Career Growth and Advancement.” Karen is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International
Honor Society of Nursing and Phi Kappa Phi. She is currently the president of the Francis
Marion University Department of Nursing Honor Society and past president of the Pee Dee
Area Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She is a recipient of multiple
Outstanding Faculty Caring Teacher Awards at Francis Marion University and the South Carolina
Palmetto Gold Award (2005).
Rhonda M. Brogdon, DNP, MSN, MBA, RN, is an assistant professor of nursing at Francis
Marion University, Florence, South Carolina, where she is the course coordinator of nursing
research in practice for prelicensure BSN students and the coordinator of the RN–BSN
educational track. She has also taught health assessment for prelicensure BSN students and
served as lab coordinator for the course. Previous to accepting her current teaching position,
Rhonda was a part-time clinical faculty member for the Medical University of South Carolina
School of Nursing/Francis Marion University Satellite Nursing Program. Dr. Brogdon earned her
DNP degree from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2010). Dr. Brogdon’s 16 years
of clinical experience include renal nursing, discharge nurse–case management/counseling
discharge planning, charge nurse, and medical-surgical renal staff nurse. She has contributed
to Fast Facts for Developing a Nursing Academic Portfolio (2012), and has presented nationally
on the topic. Dr. Brogdon has been the recipient of the 2007 Caring Clinical Instructor Award,
Clemson Scholar of Promise (1990–1994), nominated as RN of the Year by her peers for 2 years,
and was consistently evaluated as a “role model” nurse. She was awarded the African-American
Faculty and Staff Coalition Diversity Award for Francis Marion University in 2013. She is currently
the vice president of the Francis Marion University Nursing Honor Society.
Frances H. Cornelius, PhD, MSN, RN-BC, CNE, is associate clinical professor, chair of the MSN
Advanced Practice Role Department and coordinator of informatics projects at Drexel University,
College of Nursing and Health Professions. Fran has taught nursing since 1991, at several schools of
nursing. She taught community health at Madonna University (Livonia, MI), Oakland (MI) University,
University of Pittsburgh (PA), and Holy Family College (Philadelphia, PA). Fran taught adult health
and gerontology at Widener University School of Nursing until 1997, when she began teaching at
Drexel. In 2003, she was a Fellow at the Biomedical Library of Medicine. She is a certified nurse
informaticist and has been the recipient of several grants. She has collaborated on the development of
mobile applications as coordinator of informatics projects, including the Patient Assessment and Care
Plan Development (PACPD) tool, which is a PDA tool with a Web-based companion, and Gerontology
Reasoning Informatics Programs (the GRIP project). She is the coeditor (with Mary Gallagher Gordon)
Gitting_95760_PTR_FM_05-17-13_i-xvi.indd ii 21/06/13 12:28 PM
, and chapter contributor of PDA Connections, an innovative textbook designed to teach health care
professionals how to use mobile devices for point-of-care access of information. She is a coauthor
of Maternal-Child Nursing Test Success: An Unfolding Case Study Review (2012); Fundamentals of
Nursing Test Success: An Unfolding Case Study Review (2013); Medical-Surgical Nursing Test Success:
An Unfolding Case Study Review (2013); and Community Health Nursing Test Success: An Unfolding
Case Study Review (2013). She has written six book chapters and has published 19 journal articles
on her work. She has been invited to deliver 26 presentations and has delivered more than 50 peer-
reviewed presentations mostly in the United States, but also in Spain, Canada, and Korea. She is a
member of the American Informatics Association, the American Nursing Informatics Association, the
American Nurses Association, and the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association.
Gitting_95760_PTR_FM_05-17-13_i-xvi.indd iii 21/06/13 12:28 PM
Medical-
Surgical
An Unfolding
Case Study
Review
Nursing
Test Success
l Case studies offer relief
from endless Q & A
review
l Encourages “think like a
nurse” approach
l Utilizes all types of
NCLEX-style questions
l Web links to supporting
multimedia content
, Medical-Surgical Nursing Test Success
Gitting_95760_PTR_FM_05-17-13_i-xvi.indd i 21/06/13 12:28 PM
, Karen K. Gittings, DNP, RN, CNE, Alumnus CCRN, is an assistant professor of nursing at
Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina. Karen received her diploma in nursing
from the Washington Hospital School of Nursing and her BSN from the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County campus. She received her MSN with specialization in nursing education and
her DNP from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Karen achieved certification
in online instruction in 2011. Karen has extensive experience in critical care nursing and has
been a certified critical care registered nurse (CCRN) since 1991. Her areas of teaching expertise
are medical-surgical nursing, critical care, and cardiac nursing. She has taught both junior-
and senior-level undergraduate, baccalaureate nursing students in the classroom and clinical
settings. Karen’s work on the topic of nurses and body art has been published in Nursing
2012 and Nursing Management. She also contributed to Fast Facts for Developing a Nursing
Academic Portfolio (2012). Karen has also presented nationally on the topics of “Intravenous
Education through Simulation” and “Developing an Effective Nurse Educator Academic Portfolio
for Career Growth and Advancement.” Karen is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International
Honor Society of Nursing and Phi Kappa Phi. She is currently the president of the Francis
Marion University Department of Nursing Honor Society and past president of the Pee Dee
Area Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She is a recipient of multiple
Outstanding Faculty Caring Teacher Awards at Francis Marion University and the South Carolina
Palmetto Gold Award (2005).
Rhonda M. Brogdon, DNP, MSN, MBA, RN, is an assistant professor of nursing at Francis
Marion University, Florence, South Carolina, where she is the course coordinator of nursing
research in practice for prelicensure BSN students and the coordinator of the RN–BSN
educational track. She has also taught health assessment for prelicensure BSN students and
served as lab coordinator for the course. Previous to accepting her current teaching position,
Rhonda was a part-time clinical faculty member for the Medical University of South Carolina
School of Nursing/Francis Marion University Satellite Nursing Program. Dr. Brogdon earned her
DNP degree from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2010). Dr. Brogdon’s 16 years
of clinical experience include renal nursing, discharge nurse–case management/counseling
discharge planning, charge nurse, and medical-surgical renal staff nurse. She has contributed
to Fast Facts for Developing a Nursing Academic Portfolio (2012), and has presented nationally
on the topic. Dr. Brogdon has been the recipient of the 2007 Caring Clinical Instructor Award,
Clemson Scholar of Promise (1990–1994), nominated as RN of the Year by her peers for 2 years,
and was consistently evaluated as a “role model” nurse. She was awarded the African-American
Faculty and Staff Coalition Diversity Award for Francis Marion University in 2013. She is currently
the vice president of the Francis Marion University Nursing Honor Society.
Frances H. Cornelius, PhD, MSN, RN-BC, CNE, is associate clinical professor, chair of the MSN
Advanced Practice Role Department and coordinator of informatics projects at Drexel University,
College of Nursing and Health Professions. Fran has taught nursing since 1991, at several schools of
nursing. She taught community health at Madonna University (Livonia, MI), Oakland (MI) University,
University of Pittsburgh (PA), and Holy Family College (Philadelphia, PA). Fran taught adult health
and gerontology at Widener University School of Nursing until 1997, when she began teaching at
Drexel. In 2003, she was a Fellow at the Biomedical Library of Medicine. She is a certified nurse
informaticist and has been the recipient of several grants. She has collaborated on the development of
mobile applications as coordinator of informatics projects, including the Patient Assessment and Care
Plan Development (PACPD) tool, which is a PDA tool with a Web-based companion, and Gerontology
Reasoning Informatics Programs (the GRIP project). She is the coeditor (with Mary Gallagher Gordon)
Gitting_95760_PTR_FM_05-17-13_i-xvi.indd ii 21/06/13 12:28 PM
, and chapter contributor of PDA Connections, an innovative textbook designed to teach health care
professionals how to use mobile devices for point-of-care access of information. She is a coauthor
of Maternal-Child Nursing Test Success: An Unfolding Case Study Review (2012); Fundamentals of
Nursing Test Success: An Unfolding Case Study Review (2013); Medical-Surgical Nursing Test Success:
An Unfolding Case Study Review (2013); and Community Health Nursing Test Success: An Unfolding
Case Study Review (2013). She has written six book chapters and has published 19 journal articles
on her work. She has been invited to deliver 26 presentations and has delivered more than 50 peer-
reviewed presentations mostly in the United States, but also in Spain, Canada, and Korea. She is a
member of the American Informatics Association, the American Nursing Informatics Association, the
American Nurses Association, and the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association.
Gitting_95760_PTR_FM_05-17-13_i-xvi.indd iii 21/06/13 12:28 PM
