Fundamentals of Nursing and Basic Nursing Skills
Fundamentals of Nursing and Basic Nursing Skills is the foundation block of the Iranian nursing competency exam (آزمون صلاحیت حرفهای پرستاری). Items here do not test definitions; they test whether you can apply the nursing process, interpret vital signs, keep technique aseptic and administer medication safely.
The nursing process drives the correct option
Assessment precedes every intervention, and reassessment is required whenever new data appear. Diagnosis uses NANDA-I labels, planning writes measurable patient-centred outcomes, and evaluation compares actual with expected outcomes. If an option begins with a procedure while the stem has just given you new abnormal data, the answer is almost always reassessment or notification of the physician.
Numbers the exam expects you to own
- Adult resting values: temperature 36.5–37.5 °C, pulse 60–100/min, respirations 12–20/min, SpO2 95% or above.
- Orthostatic hypotension: a systolic fall of 20 mmHg or a diastolic fall of 10 mmHg within 3 minutes of standing.
- Hand hygiene: alcohol-based rub 20–30 seconds, soap and water 40–60 seconds, performed at the WHO five moments.
- Medication rights: right patient, drug, dose, route, time, documentation, reason, and the right to refuse.
Worked example
An order reads 1000 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride over 8 hours through a 20 drop/mL set. Reasoning: flow rate = 1000 ÷ 8 = 125 mL/h; drops per minute = (125 × 20) ÷ 60 = 41.7, so 42 drops/min. Convert to mL/h first, then apply the drop factor; a drip chamber delivers whole drops, so you round.
Traps that cost marks
- Documenting a procedure before performing it, or charting for a colleague.
- Using an arm with an arteriovenous fistula or a running IV line for blood pressure measurement.
- Treating a fresh surgical wound or urinary catheter insertion as clean rather than sterile.
- Counting the first drop as the start of the timed minute.