Becoming Assertive: A Guide for Nurses is a self-

help book that shows nurses how to apply assertive behavior to

their profession. The book is written especially for nursing

students, whatever their level of training. It can be used in

introductory nursing courses that cover nursing process or

interpersonal skills and in care or foundation courses in grad-

uate programs. The book can also be used in a course on

psychiatric nursing or community health, trends in nursing,

leadership, management, value clarification, program planning,

or communication.

Becoming Assertive: A Guide for Nurses is designed to help

nursing students improve their communication skills, self-

development, and personal and professional effectiveness. As-

sertive, nonassertive, and aggressive behavior is defined with

the help of examples from nursing situations. The book encour-

ages nurses to learn to differentiate among these behaviors and

to understand that everyone uses each of them at some time. All

of us, however, do not always consciously choose to use or avoid

a certain behavior. This book emphasizes the idea that individ-

uals can decide which behavior is comfortable for them in a

particular situation. Nurses are encouraged to speak in a self-

affirming manner and to express thoughts, feelings, opinions,

and beliefs honestly.