OMSB Nurse Exam flashcards

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

Normal adult respiratory rate

Resting respiratory rate for a healthy adult is 12 to 20 breaths per minute. Rates above 20 are tachypnea and below 12 are bradypnea, both requiring assessment of cause and oxygenation.

Hypoglycemia treatment rule

Blood glucose below 70 mg/dL in a conscious patient is treated with 15 g of fast-acting carbohydrate, then rechecked in 15 minutes. Repeat up to three times; use IV dextrose or glucagon if unconscious.

Digoxin hold parameter

For adults, hold digoxin and notify the prescriber when the apical pulse is below 60 beats per minute. Therapeutic serum level is 0.5 to 2.0 ng/mL, and toxicity can cause nausea and visual changes.

Heart failure weight warning

Report a weight gain of more than 1 kg (2 lb) in one day or 2.3 kg (5 lb) in one week. Rapid gain reflects fluid retention and often precedes pulmonary edema.

Naegele rule for EDD

Estimate date of delivery by taking the first day of the last menstrual period, subtracting 3 months, adding 7 days, and adding 1 year. It assumes a 28-day cycle.

Normal fetal heart rate

The normal baseline fetal heart rate is 110 to 160 beats per minute. Below 110 is bradycardia and above 160 is tachycardia; either finding warrants maternal repositioning and reassessment.

Postpartum hemorrhage threshold

Postpartum hemorrhage is blood loss over 500 mL after vaginal birth or over 1000 mL after cesarean birth. Uterine atony is the most common cause, so fundal massage and uterotonics come first.

Apgar score components

Apgar assesses appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration, each scored 0 to 2, at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Total scores range from 0 to 10.

Magnesium sulfate monitoring

During magnesium sulfate infusion for preeclampsia, monitor deep tendon reflexes, respiratory rate, and urine output. Loss of reflexes, respirations below 12, or oliguria suggests toxicity; calcium gluconate is the antidote.

Adult CPR compression depth

Compress the adult chest at 100 to 120 per minute to a depth of at least 5 cm but no more than 6 cm, allowing full recoil and keeping interruptions under 10 seconds.

Anaphylaxis first-line drug

Give intramuscular epinephrine 0.3 to 0.5 mg of 1:1000 solution into the anterolateral thigh, repeating every 5 to 15 minutes as needed. Antihistamines and steroids are adjuncts, not first-line.

Sepsis bundle essentials

Measure lactate, draw blood cultures before antibiotics, give broad-spectrum antibiotics promptly, and give 30 mL/kg crystalloid for hypotension or lactate of 4 mmol/L or higher.

Glasgow Coma Scale threshold

The Glasgow Coma Scale ranges from 3 to 15. A score of 8 or less indicates severe injury and prompts assessment of airway protection and consideration of intubation.

High-pressure ventilator alarm

A high-pressure ventilator alarm suggests increased resistance: secretions, coughing, biting, patient-ventilator dyssynchrony, or kinked tubing. Assess the patient first, then suction or check the circuit.

Levels of prevention

Primary prevention stops disease before it occurs, such as immunization. Secondary prevention detects early disease through screening. Tertiary prevention limits disability through treatment and rehabilitation.

Incidence versus prevalence

Incidence counts new cases arising in a population over a defined period. Prevalence counts all existing cases at a point in time, so it reflects both new cases and duration of illness.

Attack rate formula

Attack rate equals the number of new cases divided by the population at risk, multiplied by 100. It is used during outbreak investigations to compare exposed and unexposed groups.

Herd immunity concept

When enough of a population is immune, transmission chains break and unvaccinated or immunocompromised people gain indirect protection. The threshold rises with how contagious the pathogen is.

Sensitivity versus specificity

Sensitivity is the proportion of true cases correctly identified by a test. Specificity is the proportion of non-cases correctly identified as negative. A highly sensitive test rarely misses disease.

Five moments for hand hygiene

Perform hand hygiene before touching a patient, before clean or aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings.

Airborne precautions requirements

Use a negative-pressure room with the door closed and an N95 or equivalent respirator. Apply for tuberculosis, measles, and varicella, plus aerosol-generating procedures when indicated.

Droplet precautions requirements

Wear a surgical mask and use a private room or cohort within about 1 to 2 meters. Apply for influenza, pertussis, and meningococcal disease; patients wear masks during transport.

Six rights of medication

Verify the right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation. Many settings add right reason and right response to complete the check.

Pressure injury stage 1

Stage 1 is intact skin with non-blanchable erythema over a bony prominence. It signals pressure damage and requires repositioning, offloading, and skin assessment rather than massage.

Minimum adult urine output

Adequate adult urine output is about 0.5 to 1 mL/kg/hour. Output below 30 mL/hour suggests hypovolemia or renal impairment and warrants assessment and reporting.

Needlestick immediate action

Wash the site with soap and running water, do not squeeze or scrub, report immediately, and seek post-exposure prophylaxis evaluation. Source testing and baseline serology guide follow-up.

Informed consent elements

Valid informed consent requires patient capacity, disclosure of risks, benefits, and alternatives, patient understanding, and voluntariness. The physician obtains consent; the nurse witnesses and clarifies.

Four ethical principles

Autonomy respects patient choice, beneficence promotes good, non-maleficence avoids harm, and justice ensures fair distribution of benefits and burdens. These principles guide nursing decisions.

Confidentiality exceptions

Disclosure of patient information may occur with patient consent, when required by law, when there is serious risk to others, and for mandatory reporting of abuse or specified diseases.

Advance directive purpose

A living will states treatment preferences and a durable power of attorney for healthcare names a surrogate. Both apply when the patient loses decision-making capacity.

Negligence four elements

A negligence claim requires duty owed to the patient, breach of that duty, causation linking the breach to harm, and actual damages. All four elements must be established.

Documentation legal standard

Record objective findings contemporaneously in permanent ink, without blank lines or alterations. Late entries are labeled as late with date, time, and signature, because the record is legal evidence.