Skip to main content
CSTSetup
Log in
Dictionary

Nursing practice

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

sentinel eventAn unexpected event in health care that causes a client's death, permanent harm or severe temporary harm.
sexual abuseAny sexual act forced on a person, or done with someone who cannot agree to it, such as a child.
sexual orientationThe pattern of a person's emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to others.
sexualityThe part of a person's life that involves sexual feelings, attraction, behavior, relationships and identity.
SHSocial history: the part of a health history about a person's living situation, work, habits and supports.
signSomething about a person's body that another person can see, hear, feel or measure, such as a fever, a rash or a fast pulse.
sign and symptomThe findings of an illness taken together: what can be seen or measured (signs) and what the person feels and reports (symptoms).
significant otherA person who is very important in someone's life, such as a spouse, partner or close friend.
Simple Triage and Rapid TreatmentA quick method, called START, for sorting adult victims in a mass-casualty event by how urgently they need care.
sitterA staff member assigned to stay with one client and watch them continuously to keep them safe.
skilled nursing facilityA facility that gives round-the-clock nursing care and rehabilitation to people who no longer need a hospital.
social determinant of healthA condition of the places where people are born, live, learn, work and age that affects their health, such as income, housing and education.
social isolationHaving little contact with other people, or being cut off from family, friends and community.
social supportThe help and comfort a person gets from family, friends, community and groups.
social workerA professional who helps clients and families with social, emotional, financial and practical problems related to health and care.
socializationThe process by which a person learns the values, habits and ways of behaving of their family, culture or profession.
socioeconomic statusA person's social and financial position, usually measured by income, education and type of work.
speech therapistA health professional who assesses and treats problems with speech, language, voice and swallowing.
spiritual distressSuffering that comes when a person's sense of meaning, purpose, faith or connection is shaken.
spiritualityA person's sense of meaning, purpose and connection to themselves, others, nature or a higher power.
stabilizationBringing something to a steady, controlled state, such as a client's condition, an injured body part or a crisis.
stableDescribes a client whose condition is not changing and whose response to care can be predicted.
standard of careThe level of care that a reasonably careful nurse with the same training would give in the same situation.
step-down unitA hospital unit for clients who need closer care than a general floor but less than intensive care.
stigmaNegative beliefs and labels that society attaches to a condition or group of people, leading to shame and unfair treatment.
stranger anxietyFear and distress an infant shows around people they do not know.
stress managementWays of reducing stress or coping with it in healthy ways.
stressorAnything that causes stress, such as an illness, a loss, a change, pain or a threat.
subjective dataInformation the client (or family) tells the nurse, which only the person can know and the nurse cannot measure.
substance abuseAn older term for using alcohol or drugs in a harmful way; today it is usually called substance use disorder.
substance misuseUsing alcohol, drugs or medicines in a way that can cause harm, or using a medicine other than as prescribed.
substance useThe use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs or medicines not as prescribed; when it causes harm, it is called substance use disorder.
substance use disorderA condition in which a person keeps using alcohol or another drug even though it is causing them harm.
suffocationBeing unable to breathe because something stops air from reaching the lungs.
suicidal ideationThinking about, considering or planning suicide.
suicide precautionsThe safety measures used to protect a client who is at risk of harming or killing themselves.
summonTo call for someone to come, especially for help.
superviseTo guide, watch over and check the work of another staff member who is doing a task.
support groupA group of people with the same health problem or life experience who meet to share feelings, advice and encouragement.
surgical technologistA member of the operating room team who prepares the sterile field and instruments and hands them to the surgeon.
symptomSomething a person feels and reports that others cannot see or measure, such as pain, nausea or dizziness.
symptom managementCare aimed at easing or controlling symptoms such as pain, nausea, breathlessness and tiredness.
take actionThe fifth step of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: carrying out the nursing actions chosen for the client.
teach-backA way to check understanding by asking the client to explain, in their own words, what they have just been taught.
TeamSTEPPS®A teamwork and communication training program for health care teams, created by AHRQ and the US Department of Defense.
telehealthHealth care, teaching and monitoring given at a distance by phone, video or other digital tools.
telephone orderA treatment or medication order a provider gives to a nurse by phone instead of entering it in writing.
terminal illnessAn illness that cannot be cured and is expected to lead to death.
tertiary preventionThe level of prevention that limits harm and disability from a disease a person already has.
The Joint CommissionAn independent US organization that inspects and accredits hospitals and other health care organizations against safety and quality standards.