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Procedures and skills

The procedures nurses assist with and the skills they perform themselves.

IV pushGiving a drug by injecting it directly into an IV line or port over a short time, usually a few minutes.
Kegel exercisesExercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles by squeezing and relaxing them.
Korotkoff soundsThe tapping sounds heard through a stethoscope over an artery as a blood pressure cuff is let down.
lactated Ringer's solutionAn isotonic IV fluid containing water, sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and lactate.
laparoscopySurgery or an exam done through small cuts in the belly, using a thin, lighted tube with a camera.
last menstrual periodThe first day of a person's most recent menstrual period.
lateralToward the side of the body, away from the middle line.
lateral positionLying on one side.
lavageWashing out a body cavity or organ with repeated flows of fluid.
Leopold maneuversFour steps of feeling the pregnant abdomen with the hands to find how the fetus is lying in the uterus.
lithotomyA position lying on the back with the hips and knees bent and the legs raised and spread apart, often in stirrups.
logrollTo turn a client as one unit, keeping the head, neck, spine and hips in a straight line.
lumbar punctureA procedure in which a needle is put between two bones in the lower back to take out spinal fluid or give medicine; a spinal tap.
lumenThe open space inside a tube, such as a blood vessel, the intestine or a catheter.
maskA covering for the nose and mouth, worn to block germs or to deliver oxygen.
massageRubbing, pressing or kneading the body's soft tissues to relax muscles, ease pain or improve blood flow.
McRoberts maneuverPulling a laboring client's legs back sharply so the thighs press against the abdomen, to widen the pelvis during birth.
mechanical liftA device with a sling that lifts and moves a client who cannot bear weight, such as from bed to chair.
mechanical ventilationBreathing support from a machine, a ventilator, that pushes air into the lungs through a tube or a mask.
medical historyA record of a person's past and present health, illnesses, surgeries, medicines, allergies and family health.
midlineAn imaginary line down the center of the body; also, a type of IV catheter placed in a vein of the upper arm.
mobilityThe ability to move freely and easily, such as turning in bed, getting up and walking.
moderate sedationA drug-induced state of relaxed, lowered awareness in which the client still responds to voice or light touch and breathes on their own.
music therapyThe planned use of music, by a trained music therapist, to help a person's physical, emotional or mental health.
Naegele ruleA way to estimate a due date: take the first day of the last normal period, count back 3 months and add 7 days.
nail bedThe skin underneath a fingernail or toenail.
nasal cannulaA thin plastic tube with two short prongs that sit in the nostrils to give oxygen.
nasogastric decompressionRemoving air and fluid from the stomach through a nasogastric tube attached to suction.
nasogastric tubeA thin, flexible tube passed through the nose and down the esophagus into the stomach.
nebulizerA machine that turns liquid drug into a fine mist that a person breathes in through a mouthpiece or mask.
needleA thin, hollow, pointed metal tube used to inject drugs or fluids into the body or to draw fluid out.
needlelessWorking without a needle, such as an IV connector that a syringe or tubing attaches to directly.
needlestickAn injury in which a needle that may have been used on someone pierces the skin.
negative pressurePressure that is lower than the pressure around it, so air or fluid is drawn in.
neurovascularHaving to do with both the nerves and the blood vessels of a body part.
neurovascular checkAn assessment of blood flow, feeling and movement in a limb below an injury, cast, splint or surgery.
newborn screeningTesting of every newborn for serious hidden conditions, using a few drops of blood from the heel plus hearing and heart checks.
noninvasiveDone without breaking the skin or putting instruments into the body.
NPONothing by mouth: an order that a client must not eat or drink anything.
nursing assessmentA nurse's organized collection of information about a client's health, needs and responses, the first step of the nursing process.
obturatorA smooth-tipped rod that fits inside a tube, such as a tracheostomy tube or cannula, to guide it in and then is taken out.
occlusiveClosing something off, or sealed so that air and water cannot pass through.
occlusive dressingA dressing that seals a wound or site so air and water cannot pass through.
ointmentA greasy, semisolid preparation, often containing a drug, that is spread on the skin, eyes or mucous membranes.
oral rehydration solutionA drink with a set mix of water, salts and sugar, used to replace fluid lost through diarrhea or vomiting.
oral syringeA needleless syringe used to measure and give liquid medicine by mouth.
oral temperatureBody temperature measured with a thermometer placed under the tongue.
orthostaticRelating to standing upright, or caused by changing to a standing position.
Ortolani maneuverA newborn hip exam in which the examiner gently spreads the bent hips apart to feel whether a dislocated hip slips back into its socket.
ostomyA surgically made opening from an inside organ, such as the bowel or urinary tract, through the belly wall to the outside.