DHA Nursing Exam study guide
DHA Nursing Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The DHA Nursing Exam is the assessment used within Dubai's health regulatory framework for nurses seeking registration or licensure to practise in the emirate. It sits under the authority of the Dubai Health Authority, and candidates normally reach it after their qualification and experience have been reviewed by the regulator. The DHA Nursing Exam study guide has 8 sections and about 2,578 words.
01Fundamentals of Nursing and Basic Patient Care
The foundation layer is the nursing process (ADPIE) plus the ability to prioritise. Examiners test whether you assess before you intervene, whether you recognise deterioration, and whether you apply basic safety science: hand hygiene, fall prevention, pressure-injury risk, correct body mechanics, intake/output and vital-sign interpretation.
332 words, about 2 min02Medical-Surgical Nursing
Medical-surgical content rewards pattern recognition across systems. Build a mental file for each: fluid and electrolyte balance (especially potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium), heart failure and fluid overload, COPD and oxygen targets, diabetes and insulin, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, and the postoperative course.
328 words, about 2 min03Maternal, Newborn and Pediatric Nursing
This domain splits into three logics that you should keep separate. Antepartum/intrapartum.
308 words, about 2 min04Critical Care and Emergency Nursing
The unifying skill is rapid, structured assessment: ABCDE, plus a mechanism-of-shock framework. There are four shock types - hypovolaemic, cardiogenic, distributive (septic, anaphylactic, neurogenic) and obstructive (tension pneumothorax, tamponade, PE) - and the treatment differs entirely.
290 words, about 1 min05Pharmacology and Medication Safety
Anchor on the rights of administration (right patient, drug, dose, route, time, documentation, reason, response), two independent identifiers, and the concept of high-alert medications requiring independent double checks: insulin, heparin, opioids, chemotherapy, concentrated electrolytes, and neuromuscular blockers. Know pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) and how it shifts with age, liver and kidney function.
311 words, about 2 min06Infection Prevention and Control
Start with the chain of infection (infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, susceptible host) and link every intervention to breaking one of those links. Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure; know the WHO five moments.
337 words, about 2 min07Professional Practice, Ethics and Patient Safety
Ethical principles: autonomy (the patient's informed choice, even if you disagree), beneficence (do good), non-maleficence (avoid harm), justice (fair allocation), veracity (truthfulness), fidelity (keep promises, be loyal), and accountability . Informed consent requires capacity, disclosure, comprehension and voluntariness; the provider obtains it, the nurse witnesses and advocates, and a patient may withdraw consent at any time.
344 words, about 2 min08Community Health and Mental Health Nursing
Levels of prevention structure most questions: primary (immunisation, health education, seatbelts, safe water), secondary (screening, early detection, contact tracing), tertiary (rehabilitation, chronic disease management, support groups). Know epidemiology basics - incidence (new cases), prevalence (all existing cases), attack rate, herd immunity - plus home-visit safety and the community-as-client model.
328 words, about 2 min