RCSI NMBI Aptitude Test flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Autonomy in nursing

Autonomy is the ethical principle that respects a person's right to make informed decisions about their own care, including refusing treatment, when they have capacity.

Beneficence and non-maleficence

Beneficence means acting to promote a person's well-being; non-maleficence means avoiding actions that cause harm. Nurses weigh benefits against risks in every intervention.

Valid consent elements

Valid consent requires the person to have capacity, receive sufficient information about the proposed care, and decide voluntarily. It can be written, verbal, or implied by behaviour.

Nursing accountability

Accountability means nurses answer for their own actions, decisions, and omissions. It cannot be delegated, although tasks can be delegated to competent others with appropriate supervision.

Confidentiality exception

Confidential information may be shared without consent only when required by law, to prevent serious harm, or for essential care on a need-to-know basis, following local policy.

Scope of practice

Scope of practice is the range of roles, responsibilities, and activities a nurse is educated, authorised, and competent to perform, guided by law, regulation, and professional standards.

Open disclosure

Open disclosure is an honest, timely discussion with a patient and family about a patient safety incident, including what happened, potential consequences, and steps taken to prevent recurrence.

Cardiac output formula

Cardiac output equals heart rate multiplied by stroke volume. It is the volume of blood pumped by the heart each minute and normally averages about 4 to 8 litres per minute.

Mean arterial pressure

Mean arterial pressure estimates average arterial pressure during the cardiac cycle. It is calculated as diastolic pressure plus one-third of the pulse pressure, with a usual range near 70 to 100 mmHg.

Normal adult vital signs

Typical resting adult values are respiratory rate 12 to 20 breaths/min, heart rate 60 to 100 beats/min, temperature about 36.0 to 37.5°C, and oxygen saturation 94 to 98% on room air.

Respiratory acidosis

Respiratory acidosis occurs when inadequate ventilation raises carbon dioxide, lowering pH. It may result from airway obstruction, respiratory depression, or neuromuscular weakness; treatment focuses on improving ventilation.

Hypoglycaemia treatment

For a conscious adult with blood glucose below 4 mmol/L, give 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate, recheck after 15 minutes, and repeat if still low, then provide longer-acting carbohydrate.

RAAS effect

Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation raises blood pressure by constricting blood vessels and increasing sodium and water retention; aldosterone also promotes potassium excretion.

Sepsis warning signs

Sepsis should be suspected with infection plus new tachycardia, tachypnoea, fever or hypothermia, hypotension, or altered mental state; urgent cultures, antibiotics, and fluids are indicated.

ABCDE assessment

ABCDE prioritises Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure. Nurses treat immediately life-threatening problems first and reassess after each intervention before moving to the next step.

Nursing process stages

The nursing process comprises assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It is cyclic, individualised, and requires reassessment when the patient's condition or goals change.

SMART care goals

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. They help the team evaluate whether a planned nursing intervention has achieved its intended patient-centred outcome.

Early warning score use

An early warning score aggregates vital signs into a single number. Rising scores trigger increasingly urgent clinical review and escalation, and the score must be recalculated after interventions.

Pain assessment components

Pain assessment documents location, quality, severity, timing, aggravating and relieving factors, and impact on function. The patient's self-report is the most reliable indicator of pain.

Delirium versus dementia

Delirium has an acute onset with fluctuating attention and awareness, often due to illness or drugs. Dementia is a chronic, progressive cognitive decline; delirium can occur in people with dementia.

ISBAR handover

ISBAR stands for Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. It structures clinical handover and escalation so that key information and the required action are communicated clearly.

Teach-back method

Teach-back asks the patient to explain information in their own words. It checks understanding, reveals gaps, and allows the nurse to clarify without blaming the patient for misunderstanding.

Active listening

Active listening involves giving full attention, using open questions, reflecting and paraphrasing what the speaker says, and summarising to confirm understanding without interrupting or judging.

Therapeutic boundaries

Therapeutic boundaries define a professional relationship focused on the patient's needs. Nurses avoid dual relationships, excessive self-disclosure, and any exploitation of power while maintaining warmth and respect.

SPIKES framework

SPIKES guides breaking bad news: Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Emotions with empathy, and Strategy or Summary. It supports clear information and patient involvement at each step.

Health literacy approach

Health literacy is the ability to obtain and use health information. Nurses use plain language, chunk information, avoid jargon, confirm understanding, and offer written or interpreter support as needed.

Dose calculation formula

Required dose equals desired dose divided by stock dose, multiplied by stock volume. The desired and stock doses must be in the same units before calculating the amount to administer.

IV flow rate mL/hour

For an infusion pump, millilitres per hour equals total volume in millilitres divided by infusion time in hours. Recheck the rate whenever the bag, line, or prescription changes.

Drop rate formula

Drops per minute equals total volume in millilitres multiplied by the giving set drop factor, divided by infusion time in minutes. Round to a whole drop and recount regularly.

Unit conversion facts

One gram equals 1000 milligrams, one milligram equals 1000 micrograms, one litre equals 1000 millilitres, and one kilogram equals 1000 grams. Convert to matching units before calculating a dose.

Percentage solution meaning

A percentage weight-by-volume solution contains grams of solute per 100 millilitres. Therefore 0.9% sodium chloride contains 0.9 grams, or 900 milligrams, in each 100 millilitres.

Body surface area Mosteller

The Mosteller formula calculates body surface area in square metres as the square root of height in centimetres multiplied by weight in kilograms, divided by 3600.