Nursing practice

A memory aid for the steps to take in a fire: Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish or Evacuate.

A team of critical care staff who come quickly to the bedside of a client whose condition is getting worse.

A relationship of trust and understanding between two people, such as a nurse and a client.

Randomized controlled trial: a study in which people are assigned by chance to a treatment group or a comparison group.

Writing down a spoken order or test result and reading it back to the person who gave it, so they can confirm it is right.

How prepared a person is, in body and mind, to take in and use new information.

The ability to tell the difference between one's own thoughts and feelings and what is really happening in the outside world.

Assessing a client again to see what has changed or how they responded to care.

The first step of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: picking out the client information that matters most.

The process of getting better after an illness, injury, surgery or substance use, or the time just after anesthesia.

Sending a client to another professional, service or agency for care or help that they need.

A planned schedule of treatment, such as which drugs to take, how much and when.

A nurse who has passed the NCLEX-RN and holds a state license to practice as an RN.

Waste soaked or visibly soiled with blood or body fluid, which must be bagged, labeled and disposed of under state and federal rules.

Care that helps a person regain, keep or improve the skills and independence lost through illness, injury or surgery.

To repeat and support teaching or care that has already been started, so the client remembers and follows it.

The return of a disease or its symptoms after a period of improvement, or a return to substance use after a time without it.

A state of calm with less physical and mental tension, or the methods used to reach it.

Latin for "the thing speaks for itself," the legal doctrine that some injuries do not happen without negligence.

The ability to cope with stress, hardship or trauma and to recover from it.

Something or someone that can be used for help or support, such as staff, equipment, money or a service.

A licensed health worker who treats breathing problems and runs equipment such as oxygen, inhaled treatments and ventilators.

A short break or rest from something hard, such as caring for a family member.

Short-term care of a person so that their usual family caregiver can take a break.

Latin for "let the master answer," the legal doctrine that an employer is liable for an employee's negligent acts at work.

Any device, drug or method used to limit a person's movement or behavior that they cannot easily remove or refuse.

A written summary of a person's work experience, education, skills and accomplishments, sent to an employer when applying for a job.

A sponge, needle, instrument or piece of a device left in a patient by accident after surgery or another invasive procedure.

Having a client or caregiver perform a skill they were just taught, while the nurse watches, to confirm they can do it correctly.

Five checks a nurse uses before handing a task to someone else: right task, circumstance, person, directions and communication, and supervision.

The stiffening of the body's muscles that begins a few hours after death and fades about a day later.

A structured check of how likely a client is to suffer a certain harm, such as a fall, pressure injury or suicide.

Anything that raises a person's chance of getting a disease or having a harmful event.

A hospital's system for preventing and controlling harm to patients, visitors and staff, and damage to property.

Registered Nurse–Board Certified: a credential showing a registered nurse has passed a specialty certification exam from the ANCC.

A structured review after a serious error or harmful event that looks for the underlying system problems that let it happen.

The regular, everyday care that most clients need, such as hygiene, meals, turning and vital signs.