Nursing Assistants Vocabulary

A sudden illness from which a person is expected to recover.

Provides housing, personal care, support services, health care, and social activities in a home-like setting to persons needing help with daily activities.

A nursing care pattern; a case manager (an RN) coordinates a person's care from admission through discharge and into the home or long-term care setting.

An ongoing illness, slow or gradual in onset; it has no known cure; it can be controlled and complications prevented with proper treatment.

A nursing care pattern focusing on tasks and jobs; each nursing team member has certain tasks and jobs to do.

The many health care workers whose skills and knowledge focus on the person's total care; interdisciplinary health care team.

A health care agency or program for persons who are dying.

A nurse who has completed a 1-year nursing program and has passed a licensing test; called licensed vocation nurse (LVN) in some states.

A person who has passed a nursing assistant training and competency evaluation program; performs delegated nursing tasks under the supervision of a licensed nurse.

Those who provide nursing care - RNs, LPNs/LVNs, and nursing assistants.

A nursing care pattern; services are moved from departments to the bedsides.

A nursing care pattern; an RN is responsible for the person's total care.

A nurse who has completed a 2-, 3-, or 4-year nursing program and has passed a licensing test.

A nursing care pattern; a team of nursing staff is led by an RN who decides the amount and kind of care each person needs.

An illness or injury from which the person will not likely recover.

Being responsible for one's actions and the actions of others who performed the delegated tasks; answering questions about and explaining one's actions and the actions of others.

The authorize another person to perform a nursing task in a certain situation.

A document that describes what the agency expects you to do.

Nursing care or a nursing function, procedure, activity, or work that can be delegated to nursing assistants when it does not require an RN's professional knowledge or judgment.

The duty or obligation to perform some act or function.

Trusting others with personal and private information.

A polite, considerate, or helpful comment or act.

To spread rumors or talk about the private matters of others.

To trouble, torment  offend, or worry a person by one's behavior or comments.

A staff member who guides another staff member; mentor.

The most important thing at the time.

Following laws, being ethical, having good work ethics, and having the skills to do your work.

The response or change in the body caused by any emotional, physical, social or economic factor.

The event or factor that causes stress.

Staff members work together as a group each person does his or her part to provide safe and effective care.

Behavior in the workplace.

The field of medicine focused on the treatment and control of obesity.

Messages sent through facial expressions, gestures, posture, hand and body movements, gait, eye contact, and appearance.

Being unable to respond to stimuli.

The characteristics of a group of people - language, values, beliefs, habits, likes, dislikes, customs - passed from one generation to the next.

An lost, absent, or impaired physical or mental function.

The worth, value, or opinion one has of a person.

The branch of medicine concerned with the problems and diseases of old age and older persons.

A concept that considers the whole person; the whole person has physical, social, psychological, and spiritual parts that are woven together and cannot be separated.

The person weighs 100 pounds or more over his or her normal weight.

Something necessary or desired for maintaining life and mental well-being.

Communication that does not use words.

Having an excess amount of total body fat; a person is said to be obese when his or her wight is 20% or more above what is considered normal for that person's height and age.

The branch of medicine concerned with the care of women during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth and for 6 to 8 weeks after birth.

A person's highest potential for mental and physical performance.

Restating the person's message in your own words.

The branch of medicine concerned with the growth, development, and care of children; they range in age from newborns to teenagers.

The branch of medicine concerned with mental health problems.

Spiritual beliefs, needs, and practices.

Experiencing one's potential.

Thinking well of oneself and seeing oneself as useful and having value.

Communication that uses written or spoken words.

Taking the apical and radial pulses at the same time.

The amount of force exerted against the walls of an artery by the blood.

The amount of heat in the body that is a balance between the amount of heat produced and the amount lost by the body.

A slow (brady) heart rate (cardia); less than 60 beats per minutes.

The period of heart muscle relaxation; the heart is at rest.

The pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.

Elevated body temperature.

When the systolic pressure is 140 mm Hg or higher (hyper), or the diastolic pressure is 90 mm Hg, or the diastolic pressure is below 90 mm Hg.

When the systolic pressure is below (hypo) 90 mm Hg, or the diastolic pressure is below 60 mm Hg.

The beat of the heart felt at an artery as a wave of blood passes through the artery.

The difference between the apical and radial pulse rates.

The number of heartbeats or pulses felt in 1 minute.

Breathing air into (inhalation) and out of (exhalation) the lungs.

A cuff and measuring device used to measure blood pressure.

An instrument used to listen to sounds produced by the heart, lungs, and other body organs.

The period of heart muscle contraction; the heart is pumping blood.

The pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts.

A rapid (tachy) heart rate (cardia); more than 100 beats per minute.

A device used to measure (meter) temperature (thermo).

Temperature, pulse, respiration  and blood pressure; and pain in some agencies.

The willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation  or punishment that results in physical harm, pain, or mental anguish; depriving the person (or the person's caregiver) of the goods or services needed to attain or maintain well-being.

Intentionally attempting or threatening to touch a person's body without the person's consent.

Touching a person's body without his or her consent.

A brief act or behavior outside of the helpful zone.

An act, behavior, or thought that warns of a boundary crossing or violation.

An act or behavior that meets your needs, not the person's.

Laws concerned with relationships between people.

An act that violates a criminal law.

Injuring a person's name and reputation by making false statements to a third person.

Any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person to an older adult; the act causes harm or serious risk of harm.

Knowledge of what is right conduct and wrong conduct.

Unlawful restraint or restriction of a person's freedom of movement.

Saying or doing something to trick, fool, or deceive a person.

Violating a person's right not to have his or her name, photo, or private affairs exposed or made public without giving consent.

A rule of conduct made by a government body.

Making false statements in print, writing, or through pictures or drawings.

Negligence by a professional person.

Failure to provide the person with the goods or services needed to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness.

An unintentional wrong in which a person did not act in a reasonable and careful manner and a person or the person's property was harmed.

That which separates helpful behaviors from behaviors that are not helpful.

An act behavior, or comment that is sexual in nature.

Identifying information and information about the person's health care that is maintained or sent in any form (paper, electronic, oral).

A person's behaviors and way of living that threaten his or her health, safety, and well-being.

Making false statements orally.

The skills, care, and judgments required by a health team member under similar condition.

A wrong committed against a person or the person's property.

A person 18 years old or older who has a disability or condition that makes him or her at risk to be wounded, attacked, or damaged.

A legal document of how person wants property distributed after death.

Separating a person from others against his or her will, keeping the person to a certain area, or keeping the person away from his or her room without consent.

Someone who supports or promotes the needs and interests of another person.

Any person who has the legal right to act on the resident's behalf when he or she cannot do so for himself or herself.

The care provided to maintain or restore health, improved function, or relieve symptoms.

A drug that ills certain microbes that cause infections.

Being free of disease-producing microbes.

Items contaminated with blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions; bio means life, and hazardous means dangerous or harmful.

A human or animal that is a reservoir for microbes bud does not develop the infection.

Practices used to remove or destroy pathogens and to prevent their spread from one person or place to another person or place; AKA clean technique.

A disease caused by pathogens that spread easily; AKA a contagious disease.

The process of destroying pathogens.

The process of destroying pathogens.

An infection that develops in a person cared for in any setting where health care is given; the infection is related to receiving health care.

Protection against a certain disease.

A disease state resulting from the invasion and growth of microbes in the body.

Practices and procedures that prevent the spread of infection.

A small (micro) living thing (organism) seen only with microscope; AKA a microbe.

A microbe that does not usually cause an infection.

A microbe that does not usually cause an infection.

Microbes that live and grow in a certain are.

Microbes that is harmful and an cause an infection.

The environment in which a microbe lives and grows; host.

A bacterium protected by a hard shell.

The absence of all microbes.

A work are free of all pathogens and non-pathogens (including spores).

The practices that keep items free of all microbes; AKA sterile technique.

The process of destroying all microbes.

Giving a vaccine to produce immunity against an infectious disease.

A preparation containing dead or weakened microbes.

A carrier (animals, insect) that transmits disease.

Any substance that transmits microbes.

A drawsheet made of cotton; it helps keep the mattress and bottom linens clean.

A small sheet placed over the middle of the bottom sheet.

A drawsheet made of plastic, rubber, or absorbent material used to protect the mattress and bottom linens from dampness and soiling.

A semi-siting position; the head of the bed is raised between 45 and 60 degrees.

Having the means to be completely free from public view while in bed.

A semi-setting position; the head of the bed is raised 60 to 90 degrees.

The head of the bed is raised and the food of the bed is lowered.

The head o the bed is raised 30 degrees; or the head of the bed is raised 30 degrees and the knee portion is raised 15 degrees.

The head o the bed is lowered and the food of the bed is raised.

Collecting information about the person; a step in the nursing process.

To measure if goals in the planing step were met; a step in the nursing process.

That which is desired for or by a person as a result of nursing care.

To perform or carry out nursing measures in the care plan; a step in the nursing process.

The identification of a disease or condition by a doctor.

A written guide about the person's nursing care; care plan.

Describes a health problem that can be treated by nursing measures; a step in the nursing process.

An action or measure taken by nursing team to help the person reach a goal.

The method nurses used to plan and deliver nursing are; its five steps are assessment  nursing diagnosis, planing, implementation, and evaluation.

Information that is seen, heard, felt, or smelled by an observer; AKA signs.

Using the sense of sight, hearing, touch, and smell to collect information.

Setting priorities and goals; a step in the nursing process.

Things a person tells you about that you cannot observe through your senses; AKA symptoms.

A shortened form of a word or phrase.

At or toward the front of the body or body part, AKA ventral.

A written or electronic account of a person's condition and response to treatment and care; AKA chart or clinical record.

The exchange of information - a message sent is received and correctly interpreted by the intended person.

A clash between opposing interests or ideas.

The part farthest from the center or from the point of attachment.

At or toward the back of the body or body part; AKA dorsal.

A report that the nurse gives at the end of the shift to the on-coming shift.

A type of card file that summarizes information found in the medical record - drugs, treatments, diagnoses, routine care measures, equipment, and special needs.

Away from the mid-line; at the side of the body or body part.

At or near the middle or mid-line of the body or body part.

A word element placed before a root; it changes the meaning of the word.

Describes the care given and the person's response and progress.

The part nearest to the center or to the point of origin.

The oral account of care and observations.

The oral account of care and observations.

A word element containing the basic meaning of the word.

A word element placed after a root; it changes the meaning of the word.

A part of a word.