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Dictionary

NCLEX words

The exam's own working vocabulary: assess, reinforce, prioritize, UAP and the rest.

NCLEXNational Council Licensure Examination: the US and Canadian licensing exams for nurses.
NCLEX-PNThe national licensing exam that practical and vocational nurses (LPNs and LVNs) pass before they can work.
NCLEX-RNThe National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, the exam graduates must pass to be licensed as RNs.
near missAn error or unsafe situation that was caught before it reached the client, so no harm was done.
negligenceFailure to use the care that a reasonably careful person would use in the same situation.
Next Generation NCLEXThe version of the NCLEX exam, used since April 2023, built to measure clinical judgment with case studies and new question types.
nonmaleficenceThe ethical principle of doing no harm to the client.
nontherapeutic communicationWays of responding to a client that shut down open, honest talk instead of encouraging it.
nonverbalWithout words: communicated through facial expression, body language, touch, tone of voice or silence.
nonverbal communicationSending messages without words, through facial expression, eye contact, posture, gestures, touch and tone of voice.
normal griefThe usual feelings, thoughts and behaviors that follow a loss, such as a death.
notify the health care providerTo tell the person who prescribes the client's care about a finding, change or problem.
NPONothing by mouth: an order that a client must not eat or drink anything.
Nurse Practice ActA state's law that defines nursing practice, sets the scope of each type of nurse and creates the board of nursing.
nursing assistantA trained, certified worker without a nursing license who helps clients with daily care under a nurse's direction.
nursing diagnosisA nurse's judgment about a client's response to a health problem, which the nurse can treat within the nursing scope.
nursing processThe step-by-step method nurses use to plan and give care: assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate.