Nursing Foundation and Basic Sciences
What this domain tests
AIIMS NORCET uses Nursing Foundation and Basic Sciences to test safe basic nursing practice: infection control, vital signs, medication safety, positioning, fluid balance, first aid, and applied anatomy, physiology and microbiology. Questions are usually scenario-based, so link the principle to the action.
Core rules
- Hand hygiene: WHO five moments; alcohol-based rub for visibly clean hands, soap and water when visibly soiled or after Clostridioides difficile.
- Sterilization versus disinfection: autoclave 121°C at 15 psi for 15–20 minutes; disinfection reduces pathogens but may not kill spores.
- Medication rights: right patient (two identifiers), drug, dose, route, time, reason, documentation, and right to refuse.
- Adult vital signs: oral temperature 36.5–37.5°C; pulse 60–100/min; respirations 12–20/min; BP <120/80 mmHg. Infant respiratory rates are higher.
- Positions: Fowler for dyspnea, lateral for unconscious clients, Sims for enema; use Trendelenburg cautiously.
- Nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation (ADPIE); evaluate against measurable outcomes.
Worked example
Order: 500 mL 0.9% sodium chloride over 4 hours; drop factor 20 gtt/mL. Drops/min = (volume × drop factor) ÷ (time in minutes) = (500 × 20) ÷ (4 × 60) = 10,000 ÷ 240 = 41.7, so 42 gtt/min. Round to the nearest whole drop; convert hours to minutes before dividing.
Traps
Confusing sterilization with disinfection; using only a room number as patient identifier; calculating gtt/min without converting hours to minutes; applying adult vital-sign ranges to children; and documenting a medication before giving it. Also distinguish medical asepsis (clean technique) from surgical asepsis (sterile technique).