Essential Clinical Skills (ECS) addresses the practical (skills) component of the Diploma of Nursing, HLT54121. Successful completion of the skills component is mandatory for accreditation. ECS links nursing theory to clinical practice and helps you to expand your skills and understanding of different care situations. Skills grids in the text help you to assess your own performance, gain feedback on your performance and maintain a personal record of skills you have practised. The text is used as a handbook, a set of checklists and as an assessment portfolio, in conjunction with a Foundations of Nursing text.