Ambulatory care

Health services provided to those who visit a clinic or hospital as outpatients and depart after treatment on the same day.

Extended Care

 Medical, nursing, or custodial care provided to an individual over a prolongedperiod of time.

Nurse Managers

A nurse who is in charge of all activities in a unit, including patient care, continuous quality improvement, personnel selection and evaluation, and resource (supplies and money) management. Formerly known as a head nurse.

Clinical Ladder

Programs allowing nurses to progress in the organizational hierarchy while staying in direct patient care roles.

Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs)

A nurse with an advanced degree who serves as a resource person to other nurses and often provides direct care to patients or families with particularly difficult or complex problems.

Flexible Staffing

A mechanism whereby nurses may work at times other than the traditional hospital shifts.

Community Health Nursing

Formerly known as public health nursing; a nursing specialty that systematically uses a process of delivering nursing care to improve the health of an entire community.

Nurse Entrepreneur

A nurse who engages in a business undertaking related to health care or nursing, such as owning a traveling nurse agency.

Autonomy

Self-determination. Control over one's own professional practice.

occupational health nurses

A nurse specializing in the care of a specific group of workers in a given occupational setting.

school nurse

Nurse specializing in the care of school-age children or adolescents and practicing in school settings.

Hospice and Palliative Care nursing

Specialized nursing care provided at the end-of-life to patients and their families in homes and residential facilities. Aimed at a comfortable and dignified death that honors the wishes of patients and loved ones.

Case Management

Systematic collaboration with patients, their significant others, and their health care providers to coordinate high-quality health care services in a cost-effective manner with positive patient outcomes.

Length of Stay (LOS)

The number of days a patient stays in an inpatient setting, such as a hospital.

Critical Paths

Multidisciplinary care plans outlining a patient's treatments and expected outcomes, day by day.

Telehealth Nursing

The delivery of nursing care services and related health care activities through telecommunication technology, such as telephones, video conferencing, and others.

Faith Community Nursing

A specialized nurse who focuses on the promotion of health within the context of the values, beliefs, and practices of a church, synagogue, mosque, or other faith community.

Informatics Nurse

A nurse who combines nursing science with information management science and computer science to manage and make accessible the information that nurses need.

Advance Practice Nurse (APN)

A registered nurse who has met advanced educational and practice requirements beyond basic nursing education.

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

A nurse with advanced education who specializes in the health care of a particular group, such as children, pregnant women, or the elderly.

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNSs)

A nurse with an advanced degree who serves as a resource person to other nurses and often provides direct care to patients or families with particularly difficult or complex problems.

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs)

A nationally certified nurse with advanced specialized education who assists women and couples during uncomplicated pregnancies, deliveries, and post-delivery periods.

Florence Nightingale

Founded the first training school for nurses

Mary Eliza Mahoney

First African American educated as a professional nurse

Linda Richards

First trained nurse in the United States

National League for Nursing (NLN)

National organization that seeks to advance the profession of nursing through advocacy and improving educational standards for nurses. Nonnurses may be members.

American Nurses Assosciation (ANA)

A professional organization that addresses ethics, clinical standards, public policy, and the economic and general welfare of nurses. Membership is limited to nurses.

International Council of Nurses (ICN)

The federation of national nurses associations, currently representing nurses in more than 100 countries.

Also noticed for being the first to recommend to the state to register nurses

National Association for Colored Graduate Nurses

formed to achieve higher professional standards, breaking down discriminatory practices faced by "Negro" nurses in schools of nursing and nursing organizations and developing leadership among African-American nurses.

The group was dissolved after the ANA committed full support of minority groups

Henry Street Settlement

A clinic for the poor founded by Lillian Wald and her colleague Mary Brewster on New York's Lower East Side.

Permissive Licensure Laws

passed in 1903 nurses did not have to be registered to practice, but could not use the title of Registered Nurse. in 1923 all states required examinations for licensure but they were not standardized

Frontier Nursing Services (FNS)

Founded in Kentucky in 1925, and it provided the first organized midwifery service in the United States.

Cadet Nurse Corps

 A government-created entity designed during World War II to rapidly increase the number of registered nurses being educated so they could assist in the war effort.

Their education was free if they promised to serve in military or civilian hospitals for the duration of WW2.

Demographics

The study of vital statistics and social trends.

Socialization

The process whereby values and expectations are transmitted from generation to generation.

Stereotypes

Simplistic and preconceived image about a person or group.

Gender Role Stereotypes

Biases or prejudices that portray how men and women "ought" to behave in society or within their cultural group.

androcentric

Male-centered cultural bias.

(ex. Women learn that beauty and charm make them desirable to men- and that catching a man is a major life goal)

The American Assembly for Men in Nursing (AAMN)

Professional organization that seeks to encourage, support, and advocate for men in nursing.

 Woodhull study on Nursing and the Media

A comprehensive 1997 study of nursing in the print media.

consumerism

A movement to protect consumers from unsafe or inferior products and services.

Medical Paternalism

The attitude that health care providers know best and that “good” patients simply follow directions without asking questions.

Biomedical Technology

Complex machines or implantable devices used in patient care settings.

information technology (IT)

Hardware and software used to manage and process information.

The Healht Insurance Portibility and accountabilty act (HIPPA)

Federal law, passed in 1996, designed to protect health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs.

knowledge Technology

The use of computer systems to transform information into knowledge and to generate new knowledge; expert systems.

emotional intelligence

Awareness of and sensitivity to the feelings of others.

Sexual assualt nurse examiner (SANE)

Nurse trained to collect forensic evidence and provide initial counseling following rape or other sexual assault.

acuity

Degree of illness.

moral distress

Pain or anguish of a person who unwillingly participates in perceived moral wrongdoing.

(or class definition)

The pain or anguish affecting the mind, body and relationships in a response to the situation

professional

A person who engages in one of the professions, such as law, medicine, or nursing.

 profession

Work requiring advanced training and usually involving mental rather than manual effort. Usually has a code of ethics and a professional organization.

accountibility

Responsibility for one's behavior.

professionalization

Legal protection that limits practice of unique skills by outsiders and establishing a code of ethics.

collective identity

The connection and feeling of similarity individuals in a particular group feel with one another; group identification.

caring

Watching over, attending to, and providing for the needs of others.

occupation

A person's principal work or business.

or (what occupies or enganges one's time)

not like profession which is defined as "a calling that provides a needed service to society and possesses characteristics of expertise, autonomy, long academic preparation, commitment, and responsibility"

altruism

Unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

evidence-based practice

 The use of research findings as a basis for practice rather than trial and error, intuition, or traditional methods, such as problem solving.

code of ethics

A public written document that reminds practitioners and the public they serve the specific responsiblities and obligations accepted by the profession's practitioners

collegiality

The promotion of collaboration, cooperation, and recognition of interdependence among members of a profession.

law

 rules of conduct that are authored and enforced by formal authorities, and hold people accountable for compliance.

common law

Law that develops as a result of decisions made by judges in legal cases.

Every time a judge makes a legal desicion, the body of common law expands

statutory laws

Law established through formal legislative processes.

Every time the U.S. congress or state legislature passes lagislation the body of statutory law expands

administrative laws

Law created by a governmental agency to meet the intent of statutory law.

Both federal and state administrative laws have the force and effect of statutory law.

civil law

Law involving disputes between individuals.

ex. custody of children

the party judged responsible for the harm may be required to pay compensation to the injured party.

criminal law

Law involving public concerns against unlawful behavior that threatens society.

ex. murder or possesion of illeagal substances

usually pay with some loss of freedom, and/or pay fines

nurse practice act

Law defining the scope of nursing practice in a given state.

state boards of nursing

The regulatory body in each state that regulates and enforces the scope of practice and discipline of the members of the nursing profession.

licensure

The process by which an agency of government grants permission to qualified persons to engage in a given profession or occupation and the limitations.

Through the legislative branch

licensure by endorsment

A system whereby registered nurses or licensed practical/vocational nurses can, by submitting proof of licensure in another state and paying a licensure fee, receive licensure from the new state without sitting for a licensing examination.

mutual recognition model

A system whereby a registered nurse may be licensed in the state of residency yet practice in other states, after being recognized by them, without additional licenses.

nurse licensure compact (NLC)

An agreement among certain states, authorized by legislation, that they will honor licenses issued to registered nurses by other states in the compact.

malpractice

An act resulting in injury that occurs when a professional fails to act as a reasonably prudent professional would under specific circumstances.

torts

A civil wrong against a person; may be intentional or unintentional.

Must be a harm resulting from the action either physical, emotional or ecomonic

negligence

The failure to act as a reasonably prudent person would have acted in specific circumstances.

standard of care

A guideline stating what the reasonably prudent nurse, under similar circumstances, would have done.

decided on a case by case basis by the jury

expert witness

An individual called on to testify in court because of special skill or knowledge in a certain field, such as nursing.

standards of nursing practice

Formal statements by a profession of the accountability of its practitioners.

ex. direct testimony of the patient, nurse and others

duty of care

The responsibility of a nurse or other health professional for the care of a patient.

proximate cause

Action occurring immediately before an injury, thereby assumed to be the reason for the injury.

"captain of the ship" doctrine

A legal principle that implies that the physician is in charge of all patient care and thus should be financially responsible if damages are sought.

respondeat superior

 Legal theory that attributes the acts of employees to their employer (Latin term meaning "let the master answer")

however as nurses obtained more credentials, and autonomy. direct liability for nursing care has increased.

delegation

The practice of assigning tasks or responsibilities to other persons.

Assault

A threat or an attempt to make bodily contact with another person without the person's consent.

Battery

The impermissible, unprivileged touching of one person by another. Battery happens after assualt.

informed consent

The process of asking individuals who are

 scheduled to undergo diagnostic procedures or surgery or who are potential research subjects to sign a consent form once the procedures and risks have been explained and their privacy has been ensured.

completeness

An element of informed consent that refers to the comprehensiveness of the information provided.

refers to the quality of the information provided

competency

Refers to the capability of a particular patient to understand the information given and to make an informed choice about treatment options.

voluntariness

The degree to which an action is brought about by an individual's own free choice.

confidentiality

Ensuring the privacy of individuals participating in research studies or being treated in health care settings.

priviledged communication

The principle that information given to certain professionals is protected and is not to be disclosed even in court.

 Nurses are usually not included in such statutes. Nurses may be ordered by a judge to disclose information without the patients consent.

duty to report

The requirement, according to state law, for health professionals to report certain illnesses, injuries, and actions of patients.

legal authority

A group of people in whom power is vested by law, such as the powers vested in state boards of nursing by nurse practice acts.

presciptive authority

Legal acknowlegment of prescription writing as an appropriate act of nursing practice.

unlicensed assistive personnel

Health care personnel, such as nursing assistants and home care aides, who are not themselves licensed but are supervised by licensed individuals, such as nurses or physicians.

managed care plans

such as health maintenance orginizations(HMOs) and preferred provider orginizations(PPOs)

advance directive

Written instructions recognized by state law that describe individuals' preferences in regard to medical intervention should they become incapacitated.

 risk management

A program that seeks to identify and eliminate potential safety hazards, thereby reducing patient and staff injuries.

National Practitioner Data Bank(NPDB)

A national clearinghouse containing reports of adverse incidents involving physicians, nurses, and other health care providers that may be useful to potential employers or patients.

Morals

Established rules or standards that guide behavior in situations in which a decision about right and wrong must be made.

Values

The social principles, ideals, or standards held by an individual, class, or group that give meaning and direction to behavior.

Ethics

 critical analysis of what actions an individual should take

bioethics

An area of ethical inquiry focusing on the dilemmas inherent in modern health care.

deontology

The ethical theory that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on the inherent moral significance of the action.

This theory stresses the intentions of the actions

utilitarianism

 An ethical theory asserting that it is right to maximize the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Judges moral rightness in relation to consequences

Virtue Ethics

The system of ethics based on a person's natural tendency to act, feel, and judge but developed through training; ethics based on the natural traits of the decision maker.

nonmaleficence

The duty to inflict no harm or evil.

double effect

Ethical concept encompassing the belief that there are some situations in which it is necessary to inflict potential harm in an effort to achieve a greater good.

ex. the use of pain medicine to relieve pain even though it may hasten death

Veracity

Truthfulness

fidelity

An ethical principle that values faithfulness to one's responsibilities.

ex. a nurse working overtime due to staff shortage

justice

 An ethical principle stating that equals should be treated the same and that unequals should be treated differently

people with the same diagnosis should be treated the same and those with greater of lesser needs should be treated differently

Moral development

The ways in which a person learns to deal with moral dilemmas from childhood through adulthood.

Kohlberg's theory of moral development

preconventional-what the person needs or wants is more important to right or wrong. Average 9yrs

conventional-making moral desicions that conform to the expectations of family or group. adolescents to adults

postconventional- individual has defined their own moral values

Personal value system

The social principles, ideals, or standards held by an individual that form the basis for meaning, direction, and decision making in life.

ethical decision making

The process of choosing between actions based on a system of beliefs and values

milieu

surroundings or environment

health promotion

Encouraging a condition of maximum physical, mental, and social well-being.

health maintenance

 Preventing illness and maintaining maximal function.

educative instrument

A tool for increasing the knowledge and power of another person.

active collaborator

One who is engaged as a participant with another person.

Maximum health potential

The highest level of well-being that an individual is capable of attaining.

socialization

Formal socialization

Informal socialization

The process whereby values and expectations are transmitted from generation to generation.

The process by which individuals learn a new role from the direct instruction of others.

The process through which individuals learn a new role by observing how others behave.

biases

Prejudices, often outside the individual's awareness.

distance learning

The process of taking classes and earning academic credit through technological means such as televised or online classes. The teacher and student may be many miles apart.

resocialized

The outcome of a transitional process of giving up part or all of one set of professional values and learning new ones.

"reality shock"

The feelings of powerlessness and ineffectiveness often experienced by new nursing graduates; usually occurs as a result of the transition from the educational setting to the “real world” of nursing in an actual health care setting.

Preceptor

Mentor

A teacher; in nursing, usually an experienced nurse who assumes responsibility for teaching a novice.

An experienced nurse who shares knowledge with less experienced nurses to help advance their careers.

diploma program

The earliest form of formal nursing education in the United States; usually based in hospitals, requires 3 years of study, and leads to a diploma in nursing.

Goldmark Report

This report talked about the desirability to establish a university schools of nursing

Brown Report

recommended that basic schools of nursing be placed in universities and colleges, with effort to recruit men and minorities

position paper

 Statement pertaining to the stance a

  group or organization takes on an issue; for example, the American Nurses Association's 1965 Position Paper advocated the baccalaureate degree as the entry level into the practice of registered nursing.

Lysaught Report

report entitled An Abstract for Action that made recommendations concerning the supply and demand for nurses, nursing roles and functions, and nursing education.

basic programs

Any nursing education program preparing beginning practitioners 

National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)

The examination that graduates of basic nursing programs must take to become licensed to practice as registered nurses (RNs).

Associate Degree in Nursing

The newest form of basic nursing education program, leading to the associate degree in nursing (ADN), consisting of 3 or fewer years, and usually offered in technical or community colleges. Based upon a model developed by Dr. Mildred Montag

External degree programs

An alternative educational program in which learning is independent and is assessed through highly standardized and validated examinations.

Articulation

An educational mobility system providing for direct movement from a program at one level of nursing education to another without significant loss of credit.

National League for nursing accreditation Commission (NLNAC)

The arm of the National League for Nursing that accredits schools' associate degree, diploma, baccalaureate, and master's programs in nursing.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

A national organization devoted to advancing nursing education at the baccalaureate and graduate levels.

The accrediting arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

 Certification

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)

 Validation of specific qualifications demonstrated by a registered nurse in a defined area of practice.

The credentialing arm of the American Nurses Association that deals with certification of individual nurses, and approval of organizations as continuing education providers.

Mandatory Continuing Education

The requirement that nurses complete a certain number of hours of continuing education as a prerequisite for relicensure

(Missouri is not one of the states that requires this)