Some have said 2010 was the “Year of the eBook” and it’s difficult to argue with that one! Although eBooks are not a new concept, 2010 certainly marked a huge surge in eBook interest as the sales of eBook readers, such as Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, and Sony’s eReader, spread like wildfire across the U.S. and abroad. A December 29, 2010 report by Guardian.co.uk stated that “[Amazon] told Bloomberg this month that it will have sold about 8m Kindles by the end of this year”, surpassing the previous sales record of the book Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows released in July 2007. In addition, DailyFinance.com reports there is reason to believe that Apple iPad sales will continue at a rate of “1.3m sales per month” through 2011.
Global Technology Nurses Association has decided to jump on this bandwagon or “ride the eBook wave”, as it were, and highlight “what’s in it for me” where nursing is concerned.
The most exciting news so far this year is the special offer of over 130 free Kaplan eBooks made available through January 17, 2011 by Kaplan as part of their 2011 New Year celebration with theme of “New Year, New Possibilities”. Their eBooks are available for download for the Barnes & Noble NookColor, the Amazon Kindle (apps & devices), the Apple iPad, and the Sony eReader. There are 30 titles listed under the “Medicine” heading and 15 titles listed under the “Nursing” heading. Here are just a few examples of the eBook titles available:
Call to Nursing by Sergi/Gorman
Change Your Career: Nursing as Your New Profession by Barbara Arnoldussen
First Year Nurse by Barbara Arnoldussen
How to Survive Clinical by Diann L. Martin
Kaplan CCRN by Kaplan
Kaplan NCLEX-PN by Irwin /Yock
Kaplan NCLEX-RN by Irwin /Burckhardt
Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale
Cleveland Clinic Guide to Diabetes by Sethu Reddy
Cleveland Clinic Guide to Heart Failure by Randall Starling
Paramedic’s Story by Steven “Kelly” Grayson
… and many more!
A full list of Kaplan’s free eBook titles are available here
Additional eBook resources for nurses:
ImpactED Nurse free ebook: Emergency Nursing Unscrewed
Barnes & Nobel’s Nook Study – Works on Windows and MAC; no Nook device required
Google eBooks which Google claims are compatible with “just about any device with an Internet connection” such as “Android phones, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, web browsers and many supported eReaders”.
Submitted by Carolyn Newstrom, RN (@LuvenRN on Twitter)