This practical guide provides an instruction manual for common, essential ward-based practical procedures. The book is aimed at those in their foundation years, as well as being useful for those starting their subsequent specialist training years. Many of these procedures are not taught at medical school, yet are expected to be routinely implemented as a junior doctor. Furthermore, the competency-based assessment structure being implemented as part of the 'Modernising Medical Careers' programme has highlighted and defined the need for professional guidance and teaching with such procedures. The book covers all major ward-based practical procedures (including all of those covered in the Foundation Programme syllabus), with chapters for related procedures being grouped under relevant sections. Each chapter is set out under a standard set of headings, including the indications for the procedure, the anatomy underlying the procedure, details of how to perform the procedures, post-procedure care, potential complications and their management, and relevant investigations. The style is concise and to the point in the form of a quick reference guide, and the methodology reads as if performing the procedure in person on the ward. Numerous clinical photographs and diagrams complement the text at key steps of the procedure. Every chapter has a number of helpful 'Tips' boxes providing practical advice and experience in an easy-to-read manner. Current recommendations are included from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), together with procedural guidelines issued by the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG).