My Nursing Glossary
My Nursing Glossary
20 Nursing terms
Hi, my name is Audrée Lamoureux. I live in Sainte-Adèle. I have been studying Nursing for 2 years at St-Jérôme College. The glossary that I have made could be useful for the students already studying Nursing and also for the new students in this field of study. In this field, they have a lot of difficult words to learn because we have our own language to explain and write things. So, it is hard to remember all the terms and what they mean. I chose these words specially because they are the basic terms of this field, and you have to know them well to explain and understand the others.
- Angiocatheter
- Noun
- A hollow flexible tube for insertion into a body cavity, duct, or vessel to allow the passage of fluids or distend a passageway.
- Example: The man has an angiocatheter at his right arm to receive antibiotic.
- fr: Angiocathéter
- Bradypnea
- Noun
- This is an abnormally slow breathing rate. The normal breathing rate for an adult is typically between 12 and 20 breaths per minute.
- Example: When my patient sleep he has bradypnea.
- fr: Bradycardie
- Cephalalgia
- Noun
- Pain in the head caused by dilation of cerebral arteries or muscle contractions or a reaction to drugs. head ache, headache. ache, aching - a dull persistent (usually moderately intense) pain.
- Example: My mom has often cephalalgia.
- fr: Céphalée
- Creatinine
- Noun
- A compound which is produced by metabolism of creatine and excreted in the urine.
- Example: The level of the creatinine in the patient's urine is higher than the standards.
- fr: Créatinine
- Diaphoresis
- Noun
- Sweating, especially to an unusual degree as a symptom of disease or a side effect of a drug.
- Example: The kid is sick and has fever and diaphoresis.
- fr: Diaphorèse
- Diastolic
- Adjective
- Relating to the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and allows the chambers to fill with blood.
- Example: The diastolic pressure of my patient is higher.
- fr: Diastolique
- Euthymia
- Noun
- Euthymia is defined as a normal, tranquil mental state or mood.
- Example: The patient is euthymia.
- fr: Euthymique
- Logorrhea
- Noun
- A tendency to extreme loquacity.
- Example: When I am with this patient, I can't talk because he has logorrhea.
- fr: Logorrhée
- Mutism
- Noun
- Inability to speak, typically as a result of congenital deafness or brain damage. Unwillingness or refusal to speak, arising from psychological causes such as depression or trauma.
- Example: The patient is mutism.
- fr: Mutisme
- Oliguria
- Noun
- The production of abnormally small amounts of urine.
- Example: With the new pills that I took I have oliguria.
- fr: Oligurie
- Orthopnea
- Noun
- This is that occurs when lying flats, causing the person to have to sleep propped up in bed or sitting in a chair.
- Example: My patient always has orthopnea.
- fr: Orthopnée
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Noun + adjective
- Orthostatic hypotension — also called postural hypotension — is a form of low blood pressure that happens when you stand up from sitting or lying down.
- Example: The patient has orthostatic hypotension for 5 years.
- fr: Hypotension orthostatique
- Saturometer
- Noun
- A device, usually attached to the earlobe or fingertip, that measures the oxygen saturation of arterial blood by sensing and recording capillary pulsations.
- Example: Every day, the nurse put the saturometer on my thumbs.
- fr: Saturomètre
- Soliloquy
- Noun
- An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
- Example: The patient is always soliloquy.
- fr: Soliloque
- Sphygmomanometer
- Noun
- An instrument for measuring blood pressure, typically consisting of an inflatable rubber cuff which is applied to the arm and connected to a column of mercury next to a graduated scale, enabling the determination of systolic and diastolic blood pressure by increasing and gradually releasing the pressure in the cuff.
- Example: Nurse uses sphygmomanometer for take arterial pressure.
- fr: Sphygmomanomètre
- Stethoscope
- Noun
- A medical instrument for listening to the action of someone's heart or breathing, typically having a small disk-shaped resonator that is placed against the chest, and two tubes connected to earpieces.
- Example: Nurses use stethoscope to hear the patient's heart.
- fr: Stéthoscope
- Systolic
- adjective
- Relating to the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers into the arteries.
- Example: The systolic pressure of my patient is higher.
- fr: Systolique
- Tachycardia
- Noun
- An abnormally rapid heart rate.
- Example: The patient has tachycardia for 2 days.
- fr: Tachycardie
- Venipuncture
- Noun
- The puncture of a vein as part of a medical procedure, typically to withdraw a blood sample or for an intravenous injection.
- Example: The nurse makes all venipunctures at 6 a.m.
- fr: Ponction veineuse
- Xerostomia
- Noun
- Also known as dry mouth, is dryness in the mouth, which may be associated with a change in the composition of saliva, or reduced salivary flow, or have no identifiable cause.
- Example: These men had xerostomia after he took his pills.
- fr: Xérostomie