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Dictionary

NCLEX words

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

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.
objective dataInformation the nurse can observe, measure or test, such as vital signs, exam findings and lab results.
onsetThe beginning of something, such as when a symptom started or how soon a drug starts to work after it is given.
open postureA relaxed body position, facing the person with arms and legs uncrossed, that shows openness and attention.
open-ended questionA question that cannot be answered with just "yes", "no" or one word, so the person explains in their own words.
orientationA person's awareness of who they are, where they are, what time it is and what is happening.
out of bedAn activity order allowing or telling the client to get up from bed, often written OOB.
outrankTo be higher in rank or importance than something else.
overactivityMore activity than normal, in a person, an organ or a body system.
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.
quality improvementAn organized, ongoing effort to measure how care is given and change the way it is done so that results get better.
RACEA memory aid for the steps to take in a fire: Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish or Evacuate.
range of motionHow far a joint can move in each of its normal directions, and the exercises that move joints through it.
rapid response teamA team of critical care staff who come quickly to the bedside of a client whose condition is getting worse.
read-backWriting down a spoken order or test result and reading it back to the person who gave it, so they can confirm it is right.
reassessmentAssessing a client again to see what has changed or how they responded to care.
recognize cuesThe first step of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: picking out the client information that matters most.
reddenedTurned red, used for skin or tissue that has become redder than normal.
reference rangeThe range of results for a lab test that is expected in healthy people, also called the normal range.
referralSending a client to another professional, service or agency for care or help that they need.
registered nurseA nurse who has passed the NCLEX-RN and holds a state license to practice as an RN.
reinforceTo repeat and support teaching or care that has already been started, so the client remembers and follows it.
repositioningChanging a client's body position on a regular schedule, or moving a device to a new place.
respite careShort-term care of a person so that their usual family caregiver can take a break.
restraintAny device, drug or method used to limit a person's movement or behavior that they cannot easily remove or refuse.
return demonstrationHaving a client or caregiver perform a skill they were just taught, while the nurse watches, to confirm they can do it correctly.
rights of delegationFive checks a nurse uses before handing a task to someone else: right task, circumstance, person, directions and communication, and supervision.
rights of medication administrationThe checklist of things a nurse confirms each time before giving a medicine, such as the right client, drug, dose, route and time.