Dictionary

NCLEX words

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

palliative careCare that relieves pain, other symptoms and stress for people with serious illness, at any stage and alongside other treatment.

patencyThe state of being open and unblocked, as of an airway, tube, catheter or vessel.

Patient Self-Determination ActA 1990 US federal law requiring health care facilities to tell adults about their right to make advance directives and to accept or refuse treatment.

patient-centeredBuilt around the client's own needs, values and wishes, with the client as a full partner in decisions.

percentileA number from 1 to 99 that shows how a measurement compares with others, as the share of the group that falls below it.

personal protective equipmentGear worn to protect a health worker from germs and body fluids, such as gloves, gowns, masks, respirators and eye protection.

pertinentDirectly connected to the matter being dealt with; relevant.

plan of careA written plan that lists a client's problems, goals and the nursing actions to reach them.

postmortem careThe care given to a person's body after death, preparing it with respect for the family and for transport.

precipitateTo cause something to happen suddenly; also, solid particles that form in a liquid, or happening very fast.

preventionAction taken to stop a disease, injury or problem from happening, or to keep it from getting worse.

primary preventionActions taken to stop a disease or injury from happening in the first place.

prioritizeTo decide which client, problem or task comes first, second and so on.

prioritize hypothesesIn the NCLEX clinical judgment model, to rank the client's possible problems by how urgent and likely each one is.

PRNAs needed: an order for a drug or treatment to be given only when the client needs it, within set limits.

professional boundariesThe limits that keep the nurse-client relationship focused on the client's needs and not on the nurse's own.

profusionA large amount of something; plenty.

prognosisThe likely course and outcome of a disease, including the chance of recovery.

prostrateLying flat, face down; also, completely worn out or overcome.

protective environmentA special hospital room and set of precautions that keep germs away from a client whose immune system is very weak.