SGPGI Nursing Officer cheat sheet

Fundamental Rights (Articles 12–35): Right to Equality (14–18), Right to Freedom (19–22), Right against Exploitation (23–24), Right to Religion (25–28), Cultural and Educational Rights (29–30), Constitutional Remedies (32). Right to Education is Article 21A (86th Amendment, 2002).

Directive Principles (Articles 36–51) are non-justiciable; Article 39A (free legal aid), 40 (panchayats), 44 (uniform civil code), 45 (early childhood care), 48A (environment) are frequently tested. Fundamental Duties are Article 51A, added by the 42nd Amendment (1976).

Biology baseline: the cell is the structural and functional unit; mitochondria are the powerhouse (ATP via oxidative phosphorylation); ribosomes synthesise protein; lysosomes are the suicidal bags; the nucleus contains DNA. Mitosis yields 2 diploid cells; meiosis yields 4 haploid cells.

Human systems: blood groups follow ABO and Rh; O-negative is the universal donor, AB-positive the universal recipient. Normal adult values to memorise - haemoglobin 13–17 g/dL (male), packed cell volume 40–50%, fasting glucose 70–110 mg/dL, blood pH 7.35–7.45.

Physics and chemistry essentials: Newton's second law F = ma; work = force × distance; ohm's law V = IR; speed of light 3 × 10^8 m/s; pH below 7 is acidic, above 7 alkaline; Avogadro's number 6.022 × 10^23 per mole.

Indian polity structure: the President is head of state, the Prime Minister heads the Council of Ministers, Parliament = Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha + President. A money bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha (Article 110).

Reasoning and quantitative aptitude: percentage change = (new − old)/old × 100; simple interest = P × R × T/100; average = sum/count; in a series, check differences, ratios and squares before assuming a pattern.

General awareness: national symbols, major Indian rivers (Ganga 2,525 km longest within India), classical dances, first-in-India facts, and current national health programmes such as NHM, Ayushman Bharat and Mission Indradhanush.

Fundamentals of Nursing: the nursing process runs Assessment → Diagnosis → Planning → Implementation → Evaluation. Vital-sign adult ranges - temperature 36.5–37.5 °C, pulse 60–100/min, respiration 12–20/min, blood pressure 120/80 mmHg, SpO2 ≥ 95%.

Infection control: hand hygiene follows the WHO 5 Moments; surgical asepsis for invasive procedures, medical asepsis for routine care. Standard precautions apply to all patients; transmission-based precautions (contact, droplet, airborne) are added by route.

Pharmacology rules: the 'rights' of medication administration are right patient, drug, dose, route, time, documentation and reason. Never crush enteric-coated or sustained-release tablets unless specified. Digoxin - check apical pulse; withhold if below 60/min in adults.

Maternal and child health: normal gestation 37–42 weeks (term). Stages of labour - first (dilatation to 10 cm), second (expulsion), third (placental delivery), fourth (first hour observation for haemorrhage). APGAR scores Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration at 1 and 5 minutes; score 7–10 is normal.

Medical-surgical nursing: myocardial infarction triad - chest pain, diaphoresis, ECG changes; MONA principles (morphine, oxygen, nitrates, aspirin) as ordered. Diabetes: hypoglycaemia (sweating, tremor, confusion) is treated with 15 g fast-acting carbohydrate, recheck in 15 minutes.

Critical care and emergencies: adult CPR sequence - check responsiveness and breathing, call for help, compressions at 100–120/min, depth 5–6 cm, ratio 30:2, early defibrillation. Shock signs: tachycardia, hypotension, cool clammy skin, oliguria, altered consciousness.

Community health nursing: levels of prevention - primary (immunisation, health education), secondary (screening, early diagnosis), tertiary (rehabilitation). Cold chain: OPV and most vaccines at 2–8 °C; freeze-sensitive vaccines (DPT, hepatitis B, tetanus) must never be frozen.

Nursing administration, ethics and research: informed consent, confidentiality, and the patient's right to refuse. Records are legal documents; correct errors with a single strike-through and initials, never overwrite. Research designs - descriptive, analytical, experimental; a p-value below 0.05 is conventionally significant.