Fundamentals of Nursing — Comprehensive Study Guide
FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING
Comprehensive Key Terms & Concepts Study Guide
Nursing Theory & History · Vital Signs · Wound Care · Nutrition · Elimination · Mobility & Safety
About This Study Guide
This document contains 204 essential terms and concepts drawn directly from Fundamentals of Nursing
coursework. Each entry presents a key term alongside its complete definition and clinical relevance,
formatted for efficient review and exam preparation. Topics covered include:
• Nursing Foundations: history of nursing (Nightingale, Barton), roles of nurses, nursing process, Nurse
Practice Acts, evidence-based practice (EBP), and nursing theory
• Health, Illness & Wellness: definitions of health/illness/wellness, acute and chronic illness, stages of illness,
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and health promotion (primary, secondary, tertiary)
• Vital Signs & Assessment: normal values for temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure; fever types;
respiratory patterns; hypertension classifications and medications
• Wound Care & Skin Integrity: wound types, phases of wound healing, pressure ulcer staging, drainage types,
wound measurement, debridement, and negative-pressure wound therapy
• Nutrition: six classes of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water), their roles, and
dietary recommendations
• Mobility, Elimination & Safety: body positions, exercise types, neurological terms, urinary and bowel
elimination terminology, ostomy care, RACE protocol, and patient safety
Term / Concept Definition / Key Points
1. Origination of the word From the Latin word "nutrix" meaning to nourish.
"nurse"
2. Interrelated roles of Communicator, teacher, counselor, leader, researcher, advocate,
nurses collaborator.
3. Coping with disability Nurses use optimal function of maximum strengths and potentials, refer to
and death community support systems; provide care to families and patients during
end-of-life care, hospice.
4. The Nursing Process One of major guidelines for nursing practice; helps nurses implement their
roles; integrates art and science of nursing; allows nurses to use critical
thinking and clinical reasoning; defines the areas of care that are within the
domain of nursing.
5. Nurse Practice Acts Define legal scope of nursing practice; create state board of nursing to
make and enforce rules and regulations; define important terms and
activities in nursing, including legal requirements and titles for RNs and
LPNs; establish criteria for the education and licensure of nurses.
6. 5 Vital Signs Respirations, pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature, and pain.
7. Nursing recognized as a Well-defined body specific and unique knowledge; strong service
profession based on what orientation; recognized authority by a professional group (ANA); code of
criteria ethics; professional organization that sets standards; ongoing research;
autonomy and self-regulation.
8. Florence Nightingale Defined nursing as both an art and science, differentiated nursing from
medicine, created freestanding nursing education, published books;
founder of modern nursing.
9. Clara Barton Established the Red Cross; volunteered to care for wounds and feed union
soldiers during the Civil War; served as supervisor of nurses for the Army
of James.
Page 1 of 10 | Fundamentals of Nursing | 204 Terms
, Fundamentals of Nursing — Comprehensive Study Guide
Term / Concept Definition / Key Points
10. Sources of knowledge Traditional (passed down from generation to generation); authoritative —
comes from an expert, accepted as truth based on person's perceived
expertise; scientific (obtained through the scientific method — research).
11. Objective You can see the object; observable and measurable data.
12. Subjective Coming from that subject; reported by the patient.
13. Types of knowledge Science (observing, identifying, describing, investigating, and explaining
events); philosophy (the study of wisdom, fundamental knowledge, and the
processes used to develop perception on life); process (a series of actions,
changes, or functions intended to bring about a desired result).
14. Goals of nursing Improve care in clinical setting; study people and nurse process:
research education, policy development, ethics, nursing history; develop greater
autonomy and strength as a profession; provide evidence-based nursing
practice.
15. Deductive reasoning Examines a general idea and then considers specific actions or ideas.
16. Inductive reasoning One builds from specific ideas or actions to conclusions about general
ideas.
17. Health A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
18. Illness The unique response of a person to a disease; an abnormal process
involving changed level of functioning.
19. Wellness An active state of being healthy by living a lifestyle promoting good
physical, mental, and emotional health.
20. Nursing theory Differentiates nursing from other disciplines and activities in that it serves
the purposes of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling desired
outcomes of nursing care practices.
21. Evidence-Based A problem-solving approach to making clinical decisions, using the best
Practice (EBP) evidence available; blends both science and art of nursing so best
outcomes are achieved; may consist of specific nursing interventions or
use guidelines established for the care of patients.
22. Steps in implementing Step 1: Ask a question about a clinical area of interest or an intervention.
EBP Step 2: Collect the most relevant and best evidence. Step 3: Critically
appraise the evidence. Step 4: Integrate the evidence with clinical
expertise, patient preferences, and values in making a decision to change.
Step 5: Evaluate the practice decision or change.
23. Human dimensions that Physical, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, sociocultural, and emotional.
compose the whole person
24. Acute illness Rapid onset of symptoms and lasts only a short time; examples: cold,
diarrhea, pneumonia, appendicitis.
25. Chronic illness Slow onset; characteristics: permanent change, caused by change in
anatomy, requires special patient education, long period of care or
support; examples: heart disease, diabetes, lung diseases, and arthritis.
26. Stages-of-illness Stage 1: Experiencing symptoms. Stage 2: Assuming the sick role. Stage
behaviors 3: Assuming a dependent role. Stage 4: Achieving recovery and
rehabilitation.
27. Primary health Directed towards promoting health and preventing the development of
promotion disease processes or injury; example: immunization clinic, family planning
services, accident prevention education.
Page 2 of 10 | Fundamentals of Nursing | 204 Terms
FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING
Comprehensive Key Terms & Concepts Study Guide
Nursing Theory & History · Vital Signs · Wound Care · Nutrition · Elimination · Mobility & Safety
About This Study Guide
This document contains 204 essential terms and concepts drawn directly from Fundamentals of Nursing
coursework. Each entry presents a key term alongside its complete definition and clinical relevance,
formatted for efficient review and exam preparation. Topics covered include:
• Nursing Foundations: history of nursing (Nightingale, Barton), roles of nurses, nursing process, Nurse
Practice Acts, evidence-based practice (EBP), and nursing theory
• Health, Illness & Wellness: definitions of health/illness/wellness, acute and chronic illness, stages of illness,
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and health promotion (primary, secondary, tertiary)
• Vital Signs & Assessment: normal values for temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure; fever types;
respiratory patterns; hypertension classifications and medications
• Wound Care & Skin Integrity: wound types, phases of wound healing, pressure ulcer staging, drainage types,
wound measurement, debridement, and negative-pressure wound therapy
• Nutrition: six classes of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water), their roles, and
dietary recommendations
• Mobility, Elimination & Safety: body positions, exercise types, neurological terms, urinary and bowel
elimination terminology, ostomy care, RACE protocol, and patient safety
Term / Concept Definition / Key Points
1. Origination of the word From the Latin word "nutrix" meaning to nourish.
"nurse"
2. Interrelated roles of Communicator, teacher, counselor, leader, researcher, advocate,
nurses collaborator.
3. Coping with disability Nurses use optimal function of maximum strengths and potentials, refer to
and death community support systems; provide care to families and patients during
end-of-life care, hospice.
4. The Nursing Process One of major guidelines for nursing practice; helps nurses implement their
roles; integrates art and science of nursing; allows nurses to use critical
thinking and clinical reasoning; defines the areas of care that are within the
domain of nursing.
5. Nurse Practice Acts Define legal scope of nursing practice; create state board of nursing to
make and enforce rules and regulations; define important terms and
activities in nursing, including legal requirements and titles for RNs and
LPNs; establish criteria for the education and licensure of nurses.
6. 5 Vital Signs Respirations, pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature, and pain.
7. Nursing recognized as a Well-defined body specific and unique knowledge; strong service
profession based on what orientation; recognized authority by a professional group (ANA); code of
criteria ethics; professional organization that sets standards; ongoing research;
autonomy and self-regulation.
8. Florence Nightingale Defined nursing as both an art and science, differentiated nursing from
medicine, created freestanding nursing education, published books;
founder of modern nursing.
9. Clara Barton Established the Red Cross; volunteered to care for wounds and feed union
soldiers during the Civil War; served as supervisor of nurses for the Army
of James.
Page 1 of 10 | Fundamentals of Nursing | 204 Terms
, Fundamentals of Nursing — Comprehensive Study Guide
Term / Concept Definition / Key Points
10. Sources of knowledge Traditional (passed down from generation to generation); authoritative —
comes from an expert, accepted as truth based on person's perceived
expertise; scientific (obtained through the scientific method — research).
11. Objective You can see the object; observable and measurable data.
12. Subjective Coming from that subject; reported by the patient.
13. Types of knowledge Science (observing, identifying, describing, investigating, and explaining
events); philosophy (the study of wisdom, fundamental knowledge, and the
processes used to develop perception on life); process (a series of actions,
changes, or functions intended to bring about a desired result).
14. Goals of nursing Improve care in clinical setting; study people and nurse process:
research education, policy development, ethics, nursing history; develop greater
autonomy and strength as a profession; provide evidence-based nursing
practice.
15. Deductive reasoning Examines a general idea and then considers specific actions or ideas.
16. Inductive reasoning One builds from specific ideas or actions to conclusions about general
ideas.
17. Health A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.
18. Illness The unique response of a person to a disease; an abnormal process
involving changed level of functioning.
19. Wellness An active state of being healthy by living a lifestyle promoting good
physical, mental, and emotional health.
20. Nursing theory Differentiates nursing from other disciplines and activities in that it serves
the purposes of describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling desired
outcomes of nursing care practices.
21. Evidence-Based A problem-solving approach to making clinical decisions, using the best
Practice (EBP) evidence available; blends both science and art of nursing so best
outcomes are achieved; may consist of specific nursing interventions or
use guidelines established for the care of patients.
22. Steps in implementing Step 1: Ask a question about a clinical area of interest or an intervention.
EBP Step 2: Collect the most relevant and best evidence. Step 3: Critically
appraise the evidence. Step 4: Integrate the evidence with clinical
expertise, patient preferences, and values in making a decision to change.
Step 5: Evaluate the practice decision or change.
23. Human dimensions that Physical, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, sociocultural, and emotional.
compose the whole person
24. Acute illness Rapid onset of symptoms and lasts only a short time; examples: cold,
diarrhea, pneumonia, appendicitis.
25. Chronic illness Slow onset; characteristics: permanent change, caused by change in
anatomy, requires special patient education, long period of care or
support; examples: heart disease, diabetes, lung diseases, and arthritis.
26. Stages-of-illness Stage 1: Experiencing symptoms. Stage 2: Assuming the sick role. Stage
behaviors 3: Assuming a dependent role. Stage 4: Achieving recovery and
rehabilitation.
27. Primary health Directed towards promoting health and preventing the development of
promotion disease processes or injury; example: immunization clinic, family planning
services, accident prevention education.
Page 2 of 10 | Fundamentals of Nursing | 204 Terms
