Dictionary

Nursing practice

Delegation, prioritization, scope of practice and the working words of the profession.

callousUnkind and not caring about other people's feelings; less often, hardened and thickened.

cardiologistA physician who specializes in diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

caregiverA person who looks after someone who needs help, such as a family member, friend or paid helper.

case managementThe coordination of a client's care and services across settings and providers by one assigned professional.

CCRNA certification for critical care nurses, awarded by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

CCUCoronary care unit (also cardiac or critical care unit): a hospital unit for clients with serious heart problems who need close monitoring.

Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThe United States government agency that studies disease and sets national guidance on preventing and controlling it.

certificationA credential from a professional organization showing that a person has met the standards for a specialty.

cessationA stopping or ending, as in quitting smoking.

chain of commandThe order of authority in an organization: who reports to whom, from staff up through managers to leaders.

chief complaintThe main reason a person is seeking care, told in their own words.

chronic conditionA health problem that lasts a long time, usually a year or more, and needs ongoing care or limits daily life.

chronic diseaseA health condition that lasts a long time, usually a year or more, and is managed rather than cured.

chronic illnessA long-lasting health condition, usually of three months or more, that can be managed but often not cured.

CIWAClinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol: a scoring tool nurses use to rate how severe a client's alcohol withdrawal is.

clientThe person receiving nursing care; the word the NCLEX uses instead of patient.

client educationTeaching a client, and often the family, what they need to know and do to manage their health.

clinical judgmentThe way a nurse notices, makes sense of and acts on information about a client to decide on the best care.

clinical practice guidelineA set of recommendations for care of a particular condition, written by experts after reviewing the research.

clinical reasoningThe thinking process a nurse uses to gather and make sense of client information, decide what is going on and choose what to do.

closed-ended questionA question that can be answered with "yes," "no" or a short fact.

CMSAn abbreviation for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the US agency that runs Medicare, or for a circulation, motor and sensation check.

CNECertified Nurse Educator: a credential for nursing faculty, awarded by the National League for Nursing.

CNMCertified nurse-midwife: an advanced practice registered nurse trained to care for people through pregnancy, birth and beyond.

code blueA hospital emergency call that brings the resuscitation team to a person whose heart or breathing has stopped.

code of ethicsA written set of moral principles and duties that guides the conduct of members of a profession.

Code of Ethics for NursesThe American Nurses Association's written statement of the ethical duties and values every nurse is expected to uphold.

code statusA client's documented wishes for resuscitation if the heart or breathing stops.

coercionPressuring or forcing someone to act against their will by using threats or force.

cognitive behavioral therapyA talk therapy that helps a person notice unhelpful thoughts and change the thoughts and actions that keep a problem going.

cognitive impairmentTrouble with thinking, memory, learning, attention or making decisions that is more than expected for the person's age.

collect dataTo gather information about a client by asking, observing and measuring.

comfort careCare that aims to relieve pain and distress and give the best quality of life, rather than to cure, usually near the end of life.

community healthThe health of the people who live in a certain area or share something in common, and the work done to improve it.

community mental healthMental health care given where people live, through local clinics and services, rather than in a hospital.

community resourceA service or program outside the hospital that helps people with health or daily needs.

competenceHaving the knowledge, skill and judgment to do something well; in law, a person's ability to make their own decisions.

competencyA specific skill or ability that a person has been shown to perform to an expected standard.

complains ofA charting phrase meaning the client tells the nurse about a symptom or problem.

complementaryUsed together with something else to complete it; in health care, a therapy used alongside standard medical treatment.

complicationA new health problem that develops during or after an illness, procedure or treatment.

confidentialityThe duty to keep a client's health information private and share it only with people who need it for care or are allowed by law.

consistencyHow thick, firm or runny something is, such as stool, sputum, wound drainage or a food or drink.

continuityBeing unbroken over time; in health care, care that stays connected as a client moves between people and places.

continuity of careCare that flows smoothly from one provider, shift or setting to the next, without gaps or repeated steps.

contribute to the plan of careTo offer data, observations and suggestions that help build a client's plan of care, without being the one who sets it.

controlled substanceA drug whose making, prescribing and use are strictly regulated by law because it can be misused or cause dependence.

copingThe thoughts and actions a person uses to manage stress, problems and strong emotions.

coping mechanismA thought or action a person uses, on purpose or by habit, to handle stress or difficult feelings.

coping strategyAnything a person does or thinks to manage stress, a problem or difficult feelings.