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Nursing practice

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

master of science in nursingA graduate degree in nursing, earned after a bachelor's degree, that prepares nurses for advanced or specialized roles.
medical diagnosisThe name of a disease or condition, given by a physician or other provider, that explains a client's signs and symptoms.
medical examinerA doctor, appointed by the government, who investigates deaths that are sudden, unexpected, violent or unexplained.
medical historyA record of a person's past and present health, illnesses, surgeries, medicines, allergies and family health.
medical interpreterA trained person who changes spoken or signed words from one language to another so clients and health care workers understand each other.
medical recordThe legal record of a client's health history, care, tests and treatment, also called the chart.
medical-surgical unitA hospital unit that cares for adults with many kinds of illness and adults recovering from surgery.
medication administration recordThe part of a client's record that lists every ordered drug, dose, route and time, where nurses record each dose given.
medication errorA preventable mistake at any step of prescribing, preparing, giving or monitoring a medicine, whether or not it causes harm.
meditationA practice of focusing the mind, such as on the breath, a word or an image, to calm thoughts and reduce stress.
mental healthA person's emotional, mental and social well-being, which affects how they think, feel, act and cope.
mindfulnessPaying calm attention to the present moment, noticing thoughts and feelings without judging them.
misuseUsing something in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose, such as taking a medicine other than as prescribed.
modifiable risk factorSomething that raises the chance of a disease and that a person can change, such as smoking or physical activity.
monitorTo watch, check or measure something again and again over a period of time.
morbidityThe state of having a disease or health problem, or how often a disease occurs in a group of people.
mortalityDeath, or the rate of death in a group of people over a period of time.
MSTMilitary sexual trauma: sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment that happened during military service.
multidisciplinaryInvolving people from several different professions.
music therapyThe planned use of music, by a trained music therapist, to help a person's physical, emotional or mental health.
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.
OB/GYNObstetrics and gynecology: the medical specialty for pregnancy, birth and the female reproductive system, or a doctor in it.
objective dataInformation the nurse can observe, measure or test, such as vital signs, exam findings and lab results.
obstetricianA physician who specializes in the care of people during pregnancy, labor and birth, and just after.
obstetricsThe branch of health care that looks after people during pregnancy, birth and the weeks after birth.