Dictionary

Nursing practice

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

NCSBNNational Council of State Boards of Nursing: the US group of nursing boards that writes and runs the NCLEX exams.

near missAn error or unsafe situation that was caught before it reached the client, so no harm was done.

needs assessmentA planned look at what a person, group or community needs, done before deciding what services or teaching to provide.

neglectFailure to give a child or dependent adult the food, shelter, care, safety or medical help they need.

negligenceFailure to use the care that a reasonably careful person would use in the same situation.

neonatalRelating to a newborn baby, in the first 28 days after birth.

nephrologistA physician who specializes in the kidneys and their diseases.

neurologistA doctor whose specialty is diseases of the brain, spinal cord and nerves, treated mainly without surgery.

NICUNeonatal intensive care unit: a hospital unit that cares for newborns who are sick or born early.

NKDANo known drug allergies: a charting note that the client reports no allergic reactions to any medicine.

NLNNational League for Nursing: a US organization devoted to nursing education and nursing faculty.

no known allergyA charting phrase meaning the client has no allergies that they or their records know of.

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.

Nurse Practice ActA state's law that defines nursing practice, sets the scope of each type of nurse and creates the board of nursing.

nurse practitionerA registered nurse with a graduate degree and advanced training who can assess, diagnose, treat and prescribe.

nursing assessmentA nurse's organized collection of information about a client's health, needs and responses, the first step of the nursing process.

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 homeA place where people who need daily help and nursing care live, for a short stay or long term.

nursing processThe step-by-step method nurses use to plan and give care: assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate.

nutritional rehabilitationA planned, step-by-step return to healthy eating and body weight for a person who is malnourished.