Book excerpt: As a trainee healthcare professional, you need a reliable skills manual which will help you understand and apply the procedures covered on your course. However, you also need one which will equip you to learn new skills as you develop throughout your career. Congratulations – you've just found it! Why is this skills manual different? To help you fully engage with what you're learning, Foundation Skills for Caring has been designed with your interests and knowledge in mind. It is packed with scenarios and activities for you to explore alone or in your learning groups. These activities make study more enjoyable, but also build your confidence as you rehearse, develop and apply what you've learned. Along the way, you'll acquire professional-level skills in critical thinking, problem solving, reflection, teamwork and more. What does it cover? A range of chapters looks at over 150 core skills related to caring, including all of the skills from the NMC Essential Skills Clusters. Every chapter has been written by an experienced lecturer or practitioner, so you can be confident that your learning is supported by a team of experts. And there's more! Foundation Studies for Caring Using the same engaging style, our comprehensive sister book explores the theory that underpins your practice. Chapter links make it easy to move between the volumes and build a full picture of today's healthcare environment. Click here to visit the product page for Foundation Studies for Caring: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=280527. Companion Website Visit specially-created chapter pages including more subject information, video clips and study aids – all at: www.palgrave.com/glasper