Nursing glossary
Nursing glossary
20 terms
My field of study is nursing. A nurse is a person who takes care of sick people. She is evaluating the patient and takes note of the doctor and her. In nursing care, we have a lot of abbreviations and terms specialized in medicine. The nursing glossary will help you understand specialized terms and abbreviations regularly used in the profession
- BID
- The frequency of giving drugs to the patient, twice a day. Example: I have to give him Tylenol BID, so I have to give him Tylenol twice a day.
- Cardiac arrest
- The heart stops the sudden loss of all heart activity due to an irregular rhythm
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- An emergency procedure used to restart a person's heartbeat and breathing after one or both have stopped
- Cyanosis
- A bluish discoloration of the skin resulting from poor circulation or inadequate oxygenation of the blood.
- DNR
- The DNR order is a medical order written by a health care provider. It instructs providers not to do CPR if a patient's breathing stops or if the patient's heart stops beating.
- ECG
- ECG is a test that checks how your heart is functioning by measuring the electrical activity of the heart
- Hyperglycemia
- an excess of glucose in the bloodstream, often associated with diabetes
- Hypoglycemia
- Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your blood sugar (glucose) level is lower than the standard range
- IM
- Intramuscular, the route by which the drug is administered, the drug has to be given intramuscularly
- IV
- Intravenous, the route by which the drug is administered, the drug has to be given intravenously
- Nursing
- The profession or practice of providing care for the sick and infirm.
- Pacemaker
- Often called an artificial cardiac pacemaker or cardiac pacing device, which monitors and regulates the heart's rhythm. It uses battery-powered electrical impulses delivered via leads (wires) to correct slow, irregular, or symptomatic heartbeat
- Pediatric
- Refers to the health care of children. Classically, “childhood” is defined as being between birth and puberty.
- PNR
- Pro re nata is a Latin phrase meaning “in the circumstances or as the circumstance arises” PNR means to refer to the prescribed medication if the situation apply
- PO
- Per os or by mouth, the route which the drug is administered, the drug has to be given. Per os
- Q3h
- Every 3 hours, the frequency of administering a drug. Example: You have to give him Tylenol Q3h.
- QID
- Four times a day,frequency of administering a drug. Example: you have to give him Tylenol QID four times a day
- STAT
- A common medical abbreviation for urgent or rush. From the Latin word statim, meaning "immediately."
- surgical
- involved in performing medical operations:
surgical procedures/techniques/intervention
surgical staff
- Vitals signs
- Vital signs are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four main vital signs routinely monitored by medical professionals and health care providers include the following:
Body temperature
Pulse rate
Respiration rate (rate of breathing)
Blood pressure