Concepts of Nursing Practice (NUR 213)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the nursing lecture notes.

Professional Identity Formation in Nursing

The process by which nurses develop their professional identity through education, experience, ethical comportment, leadership, and lifelong growth.

Collaboration

Working with others to achieve patient-centered goals and high-quality care.

Compassion

Caring and empathetic response to patients' needs.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

Integrating the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values to guide care.

Respect

Recognition and consideration of others' roles, contributions, and diversity.

Competence

Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and performance necessary for safe and effective care.

Civility

Behavior that fosters respectful, inclusive, and supportive professional environment.

Diversity

Recognition and inclusion of differences in people, cultures, and perspectives in care.

Ethical Comportment

Adherence to ethical principles in professional behavior.

Patient-Centered Care

Care tailored to individual patient preferences, needs, and values.

Self-Care

Activities and practices that maintain personal health and well-being.

Growth Mindset

Belief in capacity to develop abilities through effort and learning.

Reflection

Deliberate thinking about experiences to improve practice.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own and others' emotions to guide thinking and actions.

Self-Awareness

Understanding one's own emotions, strengths, and limitations.

Accountability

Taking responsibility for actions and outcomes.

Integrity

Consistency of actions with moral and professional codes.

Resilience

Ability to adapt and recover from adversity.

Empathy

Ability to understand and share the feelings of others.

Relatability

Ability to connect with others on an emotional level.

Reflective Practice

Ongoing examination of actions and outcomes to improve care.

Psychological Safety

Environment that is inclusive, open, and safe for speaking up and sharing ideas.

Innovation

Creative improvement of processes and care delivery.

Lifelong Learning

Commitment to continuous education and development.

Ethical Decision Making

Choosing actions based on ethical principles in nursing.

Lead

To guide, influence, and set direction for others.

Manage

To plan, organize, and coordinate care resources.

Follow

To support leaders and contribute as a team member.

Followership

Active, accountable participation as a group member who supports leadership decisions.

Cultural Awareness

Recognizing and respecting cultural differences in patients and colleagues.

Cultural Competence

Ability to deliver care that respects diverse cultural backgrounds.

Transformational Leadership

Leadership that empowers followers toward a shared vision and growth; change-oriented.

Transactional Leadership

Leadership focusing on tasks, rewards, and maintaining the status quo.

Democratic Leadership

Leadership involving group input and shared decision making.

Autocratic Leadership

Authoritative leadership with decisions made by the leader and downward communication.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

Leadership with minimal guidance and limited planning; informal leadership may emerge.

Critical Thinking

Systematic analysis and evaluation to guide decisions.

Decision Making

Process of choosing among options based on data, values, and context.

Phases of Decision Making

Defining objectives, generating options, ranking options, selecting a plan, implementing, evaluating outcomes.

Problem Solving

Anticipating problems and developing practical solutions using the best available options.

Prioritization

Determining which needs require immediate action versus delaying others.

Four P's of Prioritization

Purpose, Picture, Plan, Part – framework for prioritizing care tasks and team involvement.

ABCs of Prioritization

Airway, Breathing, Circulation and cardiac status; vital signs/pain prioritized initially.

Delegation

Transferring responsibility for tasks while retaining accountability for outcomes.

Five Rights of Delegation

Right task, Right circumstances, Right person, Right direction/communication, Right supervision.

Scope of Practice

Boundaries defined by licensure, laws, and institutional policies.

RN vs LPN Scope

RN: initial assessments, care planning, complex tasks; LPN: data collection and routine tasks under RN supervision.

Incident Report

Documentation of unexpected or unusual events affecting patients or staff used for risk management.

Sentinel Event

A serious, unexpected event that results in death or significant harm.

Near Miss

An event that could have caused harm but did not.

Quality Improvement (QI)

Systematic efforts to improve structures, processes, and outcomes using data.

Quality Assurance (QA)

Ensuring conformity to a standard.

QSEN

Quality and Safety Education for Nurses; framework of core competencies for nursing.

Case Management

Coordinating care across levels of care to improve outcomes and efficiency.

Critical Pathways

Structured care maps describing standards, interventions, and expected outcomes.

Risk Management

Identifying and mitigating safety risks; using incident data to improve quality.

Lateral Violence

Aggressive or harassing behavior among nurses toward colleagues.

Mentorship

Guidance and support to help novices transition into practice.

Shared Governance

Dynamic decision-making model that distributes power and accountability to nurses.

IOM 2011 Four Keys to Use of Power

Practice to full extent, pursue higher education, be full partners with physicians, and improve data/information infrastructure.

Policy Making in Nursing

Levels of policy making from local to national and specialty organizations.

Mission, Vision, Philosophy

Organizational statements guiding nursing practice and future goals.

Organizational Structure

How an organization arranges mission, vision, and practice to deliver care.

Mentorship Program

Structured orientation and competency-based learning to support new nurses.

Conflict

Opposing opinions or emotions in crucial, high-stakes situations; managed through dialogue.

Modes of Conflict Resolution

Avoiding, Accommodating, Competing, Compromising, Collaborating, with attention to issues like lateral violence.

Quality Management

Focus on patient safety and satisfaction; measurement and improvement of care.

Incident Reporting Process

Documenting and reporting incidents to support risk management and quality improvement.

QSEN Competency 1

Provide patient-centered care, respect culture, coordinate care, educate patients, obtain informed consent.

QSEN Competency 2

Teamwork and Collaboration; clarify roles and improve transitions of care.

QSEN Competency 3

Evidence-Based Practice; integrate research with clinical expertise and patient values.

QSEN Competency 4

Quality Improvement; identify errors, measure care quality, implement improvements.

QSEN Competency 5

Safety; use technology and practices to promote safety and report hazards.

QSEN Competency 6

Informatics; use information technology to manage knowledge and support decision making.

Evidence-Based Implementation

Ask questions, acquire and appraise evidence, apply and evaluate outcomes.

Role Transition

Movement from student to practicing nurse, including education and goal setting.

Nursing Settings

Hospice, Home care, School Clinics, Public Health, Hospitals.

Nursing Styles/Roles in Health Care

Lead, Manage, Follow – interpreting environments, improvising, vision setting, and accountability.

Nursing Care Delivery Models

Case Method (Total Care), Functional Model, Team Nursing, Primary Nursing, Hybrids.

Case Management in Delivery

Coordinating care with evidence-based pathways to ensure efficient transitions.

Clinical Pathways

Structured guidelines describing care standards and expected outcomes.

Cultural Diversity in Nursing

Recognizing and addressing differences in culture to improve care.

Empathy in Nursing

Understanding patients’ feelings to improve care and trust.

Interprofessional Collaboration

Coordinating with multiple disciplines to optimize patient outcomes.

Communication in Nursing

Clear, effective exchange of information among team members and with patients.

Workplace Safety

Policies and practices designed to protect patients and staff from harm.

Patient Safety Goals (Joint Commission)

Goals to improve accuracy of identification, communication, medication safety, alarms, and infections.

Root Cause Analysis

Systematic method to identify underlying factors causing an issue and prevent recurrence.

Variance Data

Data comparing expected vs. actual patient outcomes to identify deviations.

Clinical trial vs Practice-Based Evidence

EBP relies on research; Practice-Based Evidence studies real-world effectiveness.

Role of the Nurse Manager

Weighs resource distribution, ensures safety, and guides care delivery.

Consent in Nursing

Obtaining informed consent as part of patient-centered care.

Paternalistic Decision Making

Manager-dominated, decisions made for others rather than shared.

Informative Decision Making

Staff receive information and decide after reviewing it.

Shared Decision Making

Decisions made through collaborative input from staff and leaders.

The Quick Emotional Intelligence Self-Assessment

A tool to rate emotional awareness, regulation, and interpersonal skills.