This textbook, intended for registered nurses (RN's) returning to school, is designed to provide practicing RN's with professional concepts to advance their careers. The book contains 22 chapters organized in five sections. Each chapter includes chapter objectives, key terms, key points, chapter exercises, references, and a bibliography. Section I introduces the concepts of professional nursing practice and includes a discussion of returning to school. Section II addresses the theoretical bases of nursing practice. Section III reviews eight critical components of professional nursing practice: communication, group theory, critical thinking, teaching and learning, leadership, management in organizations, change theory, and professional ethics. Section IV delves into the concepts needed for providing care as a major activity in professional nursing practice, while Section V discusses healthcare in the 21st century and challenges for the future. Two appendixes list 77 professional nursing organizations and provide a table of nursing interventions classification. (KC)