Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

That portion of the medical record which is the responsibility of the nurse. It contains the nursing care plan, nursing orders, and “nurse’s notes” regarding the patient’s response. It provides a sequential record of all nursing activities on behalf of the patient as well as accountability and validation of orders (physician and nurse) being carried…

A statement written by the nurse that specifies the nursing interventions that all nurses caring for the patient should follow.  

A credential given an individual on successful completion of the course of instruction in nursing given by a hospital school of nursing. An individual completing the nursing course in an academic program, that is, one offered by an educational institution, receives a nursing degree rather than a nursing diploma. Both degree, and diploma holders are…

The description of the individual’s actual or potential health needs which are amenable to nursing intervention. The focus of the nursing diagnosis is on the individual’s response to illness or other factors that may adversely affect the attainment or maintenance of wellness. These diagnostic acts are distinct from those of medical and dental diagnosis. To…

One item of content of a nursing care plan giving the specific aims of the nurse with respect to reducing the patient’s stress and improving the patient’s ability to adapt to the situation.  

A registered nurse who has been granted credentials in nursing informatics by the American Nurses Association (ANA) (available beginning 1995).  

A registered nurse (RN) who has had advanced study in a specific area of nursing practice, who may identify and diagnose problems of clients, and who may function independently under standing orders. A registered nurse with preparation in a specialized educational program. At present this preparation may be in the context of a formal continuing…

A registered nurse (RN) who carries out clinical teaching, with patients, for nursing students.  

An unlicensed person who provides nursing care. Licensed nurses (registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN)) express concern that the use of such individuals in place of licensed nurses will reduce the quality of care. Their suggested remedy is to require a certain ratio of licensed to unlicensed personnel in clinical nursing roles, the…

A string of numerals, with no alphabetic characters. The term is employed to describe codes, which are typically either numeric or alphanumeric.