Modules from week 1 (5 total)

An action taken to address an issue, including both the final product and the process by which it occurs.

Policy (in healthcare)

A recognized program of active learning used across all practice settings for newly licensed nurses (RN and LPN) intended to assist their transition from education to practice.

NCSBN Transition to Practice (TTP) model

A document containing nine provisions that establish ethical standards, obligations, and professional ideals for the nursing profession.

American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics

The process of determining the correct number and skill mix of nurses required to care for a specific number of clients based on acuity.

Nurse Staffing

The measure of nursing time and clinical care intensity required to meet the specific needs of an individual client.

Acuity

The specific maximum number of clients assigned to each individual nurse; California is the only state with mandated minimum ratios.

Nurse-to-Patient Ratio

Federal legislation protecting individual health insurance coverage during job transitions and setting national standards for electronic healthcare transactions.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

A national standard protecting all forms (paper, oral, electronic) of individually identifiable health information held or transmitted by covered entities.

HIPAA Privacy Rule

A 1986 law prohibiting "patient dumping" by requiring emergency departments to provide a medical screening exam and stabilizing treatment regardless of payment ability.

Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)

A 1990 law requiring healthcare institutions to inform clients of their right to make care decisions, refuse treatment, and formulate advance directives.

Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA)

Set of nursing competencies and proposed targets for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that all prelicensure nursing students should have attained for entry to practice.

Quality and Safety Education for Nursing (QSEN)

The process of enabling individuals and communities to increase control over and improve their overall health.

Health Promotion

Primary and secondary measures aimed at reducing the overall burden of disease and its associated risk factors.

Disease Prevention

A positive, dynamic state of overall health and well-being.

Wellness

10-year national objectives established by the U.S. government since 1979 to promote health and prevent disease across the population.

Healthy People Initiatives

A progressive loss of idealism, energy, and purpose experienced by healthcare workers as a result of work conditions.

Burnout

Five broad categories—genetics, behavior, environmental/physical influences, medical care, and social factors—that impact health outcomes.

Social Determinants of Health

Behaviors and exposures that an individual can actively alter or eliminate to lower their risk of disease.

Modifiable Risk Factors

Unchangeable biological or background characteristics, such as age, genetics, race/ethnicity, and family history, that increase disease risk.

Nonmodifiable Risk Factors

Interventions implemented before negative health effects or disease occur (e.g., immunizations, health education).

Primary Prevention

Early detection and screening measures designed to catch preclinical disease changes and limit future disability.

Secondary Prevention

Interventions aimed at managing, minimizing, or delaying the consequences of an established chronic disease or disability.

Tertiary Prevention

An independent, nonprofit organization that accredits healthcare organizations and publishes annual National Patient Safety Goals.

The Joint Commission (TJC)

An unexpected healthcare occurrence resulting in client death or permanent or severe temporary harm that requires root-cause analysis.

Sentinel Event

A measurement tool used by the NCQA that evaluates healthcare quality across 90 specific points alongside client satisfaction scores.

Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS)

An ANCC designation awarded to healthcare organizations that demonstrate nursing excellence, quality practice environments, and superior clinical outcomes.

Magnet Recognition Program

A four-year ANCC designation recognizing healthcare facilities that demonstrate commitment to a healthy, supportive workplace environment for staff.

Pathway to Excellence Program

A standardized, publicly reported post-discharge survey tool used to measure and compare client satisfaction across acute care facilities.

Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS)

A client satisfaction survey emailed post-visit that measures access to care, wait times, staff interactions, and overall experience.

Press Ganey Survey

A traditional healthcare payment model where providers are reimbursed based on the volume of services delivered rather than care quality.

Fee-for-Service (FFS)

A prospective payment classification system in acute care that reimburses facilities a fixed amount based on primary diagnosis, age, and sex.

Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs)

A long-term care reimbursement framework based on client diagnosis and resource intensity evaluated via the Minimum Data Set (MDS).

Resource Utilization Groups (RUGs)

2010 landmark legislation intended to expand healthcare access, lower overall costs, enhance quality, and emphasize preventive care.

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Historical founder who established the link between sanitation and infection control during the Crimean War

Florence Nightingale

Three educational pathways to become a Registered Nurse (RN)

2-year Associate Degree (ADN), 3-year Diploma Program, and 4-year Bachelor of Science Degree (BSN).

A client's degree of knowledge and ability to understand health information to make informed healthcare decisions.

Health Literacy

A model of practice that addresses the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health needs of the whole person.

Holistic Nursing Care

A nurse who acts as a liaison between clients and the healthcare system to coordinate interdisciplinary plans for safe, efficient outcomes.

Case Manager (Nurse Role)

Five Steps of the Nursing Process

Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.

State legislation that defines nursing titles, legal scopes of practice, and licensure standards within a specific jurisdiction.

Nurse Practice Act (NPA)

State Board of Nursing (BON)

The state regulatory agency tasked with enforcing the Nurse Practice Act, issuing licenses, and approving nursing programs.

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

National Nursing Accreditation Organizations

Four NLN Integrating Competencies

Human Flourishing,

Nursing Judgment,

Professional Identity, and

Spirit of Inquiry.

Nationwide standardized test for the examination and licensing of either registered nurses or practical nurses developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)

Ten educational domains that outline expected core competencies and curriculum standards for prelicensure baccalaureate nursing education.

AACN BSN Essentials

The organization responsible for establishing education standards and practice competencies for Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses (LPNs/LVNs).

National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service (NAPNES)

An agreement permitting nurses to hold a single multistate license to practice in both their home state and other member states. (AKA the ability to practice in multiple states under this combination of states umbrella)

Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)

The formal process of verifying an individual healthcare provider's training, qualifications, and ability to practice safely.

Credentialing

Scope of Practice

A legal definition of nursing practice governed by individual boards of nursing at the state level.

Standards of Practice

Competencies that all nurses are expected to follow, regardless of their specific role or location.

Standards of Professional Performance

Expectations focused on issues that influence a nurse's career development and responsibility to act professionally.

Six QSEN Core Competencies (Definitions and Examples)

1. Patient-Centered Care (PCC): Care tailored to physiological, spiritual, and cultural needs (e.g., requesting religious diets, advocating for client treatment choices).

2. Teamwork and Collaboration (TC): Partnering with interprofessional team members (e.g., interdisciplinary discharge planning, shift handoff reports).

3. Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Integrating current research and clinical data into care decisions (e.g., reading peer-reviewed journals, creating research-based protocols).

4. Quality Improvement (QI): Implementing structured plans to enhance care delivery and outcomes (e.g., completing incident reports, participating in infection reduction projects).

5. Safety (S): Minimizing risks of harm or injury to clients and healthcare team (e.g., using gait belts during transfer, implementing suicide precautions).

6. Informatics (I): Using information technology to manage data and support care delivery (e.g., documenting in EHRs, sending encrypted provider messages).

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)

An organization of nursing regulatory bodies that protects public health and welfare by establishing nursing practice recommendations, competency assessments, and safety standards. (for new nurses that can be a risk to patients due to lack of retention information by new nurses)

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials

Core educational standards outlining expected curriculum concepts, competencies, skills, knowledge, and attitudes that graduates of nursing programs should demonstrate across academic and clinical settings.

Ten Domains of the AACN Essentials

1. Knowledge for Nursing Practice: Integrating knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to form the foundation for clinical judgment.

2. Person-Centered Care: Providing holistic, compassionate, individualized, and evidence-based care.

3. Population Health: Promoting health outcomes, prevention, and disease management across public health and communities.

4. Scholarship for the Nursing Discipline: Generating, translating, and applying nursing knowledge to transform care.

5. Quality and Safety: Utilizing principles of improvement and safety to minimize harm.

6. Interprofessional Partnerships: Collaborating across healthcare disciplines to improve outcomes.

7. Systems-Based Practice: Leading and coordinating care within complex healthcare systems.

8. Informatics and Healthcare Technologies: Applying technology and data tools to support clinical decisions.

9. Professionalism: Cultivating an ethical identity built on accountability and core professional values.

10. Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development: Engaging in self-reflection, resilience, lifelong learning, and leadership.

Schedule I Controlled Substances (Definition)

Substances with no accepted medical use, a high potential for misuse, and which cannot be prescribed.

Schedule II Controlled Substances (Definition)

Substances with a high potential for misuse and severe physical or psychological dependence.

Schedule III Controlled Substances (Definition)

Substances with a potential for misuse less than Schedules I and II, which may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.

Schedule IV Controlled Substances (Definition)

Substances with a lower potential for misuse compared to Schedule III substances.

Schedule V Controlled Substances (Definition)

Substances with low potential for misuse, consisting of preparations with limited quantities of certain narcotics.

Examples of Schedule I Controlled Substances

Heroin and Lysergic acid Diethylamide (LSD).

Examples of Schedule II Controlled Substances

Amphetamine, Fentanyl, Hydromorphone, and Methamphetamine.

Examples of Schedule III Controlled Substances

Anabolic steroids, Tylenol with codeine, and Ketamine.

Examples of Schedule IV Controlled Substances

Alprazolam, Carisoprodol, Diazepam, and Propoxyphene.

Examples of Schedule V Controlled Substances

Cough preparations with codeine, Diphenoxylate with atropine, and Pregabalin.