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Dictionary

NCLEX words

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

efficacyThe ability of a drug or treatment to produce the effect it is meant to have.
elevationRaising something up, such as a body part above the level of the heart, or a rise in a value.
eliminationThe removal of waste from the body, mainly as urine and stool; also the removal of a drug from the body.
elopementWhen a client who cannot keep themselves safe leaves a care facility without staff knowing.
emergency response planA facility's written plan for what each person does in a disaster or emergency.
EMTALAEmergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act: a 1986 US law requiring emergency departments to screen and stabilize anyone who comes in.
end-of-life careThe care given to a person and their family in the last days, weeks or months of life.
enhanced barrier precautionsWearing a gown and gloves during close, high-contact care of certain nursing home residents to stop the spread of drug-resistant germs.
enlargementAn increase in the size of an organ or part beyond what is normal.
ethical dilemmaA situation in which a person must choose between two or more actions that each have moral reasons for and against them.
ethicsThe study of right and wrong, and the principles that guide good conduct and decisions.
evaluateTo judge whether care worked by comparing the client's results with the goals that were set.
evaluate outcomesTo compare how the client is actually doing with the expected results, to see whether the care given worked.
evidence-based practiceCare that combines the best research findings with clinical experience and the client's own wishes.
expected findingAn assessment result that is normal, or that is anticipated for the client's age, condition or treatment.
expected outcomeA specific, measurable result the nurse and client aim for, used to judge whether care is working.
facilitateTo make something easier to do or to happen.
fall precautionsThe set of safety steps nurses use to keep a client from falling.
false imprisonmentUnlawfully keeping a person from moving freely or leaving, by force, threats or restraint.
false reassuranceTelling a person that everything will be fine when there is no real basis for saying so.
FASTA memory aid for spotting a stroke: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call for help.
fecal-oral routeA way germs spread in which tiny amounts of stool from an infected person reach another person's mouth.
feedbackInformation about a result that is sent back to change what happens next, in the body or between people.
fidelityThe ethical principle of keeping promises and being faithful to commitments.
fingerbreadthThe width of one finger, about 1 to 2 centimeters, used as a quick bedside measure.
fluctuationA rising and falling, or a change back and forth, such as in a lab value, a symptom or a client's alertness.
follow-upA later check, visit or action to see how a client is doing or whether a problem has been solved.
further teachingMore instruction that a client or family member needs because what they say or do shows they have not understood.
gait beltA wide belt fastened around a client's waist that a caregiver holds to steady them while they walk or move.
generate solutionsThe fourth step of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: choosing goals and the actions that could reach them.
Good Samaritan lawA state law that protects people who give emergency help in good faith, outside a care setting, from being sued for ordinary mistakes.
grippyHaving a surface that grips and keeps from slipping, as in grippy socks.
hand hygieneCleaning the hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
handoff reportThe passing of information and responsibility for a client's care from one nurse or team to another.
health care providerThe licensed professional who diagnoses and prescribes for a client, such as a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
health care proxyA person a client chooses in a legal document to make health care decisions for them if they cannot decide for themselves.
health literacyA person's ability to find, understand and use health information to make decisions about their health.
health promotionHelping people take actions that keep them well and improve their health.
high-alert medicationA drug that can cause serious harm to a client if it is used in error; also called a high-risk medication.
HIPAAThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a US law that protects the privacy of health information.
hospiceCare for people expected to live about six months or less, focused on comfort and quality of life rather than cure.
ice chipsSmall pieces of crushed ice that a client sucks on to moisten the mouth and get small amounts of fluid.
ideationThe forming of thoughts or ideas, especially repeated thoughts about a particular act.
immediate follow-upAction the nurse must take right away, such as checking further, acting or reporting.
impairmentA loss or weakening of a body function or ability, such as sight, hearing, movement or thinking.
implementTo carry out a plan or action; in the nursing process, to put the planned interventions into practice.
in-personDone face to face, with the people physically in the same place, not by phone or video.
incentiveSomething that encourages a person to do something, such as a reward or a visible goal.
incident reportA written record of an unexpected event in a health care setting that caused or could have caused harm.
independent double checkA safety step in which a second qualified person checks a medication on their own, without being told the expected result, before it is given.