Nursing fundamentals: the skills every nurse learns first
Fundamentals is the first nursing course and the foundation for everything that follows. The questions here cover the nursing process, vital signs, infection control, safe medication administration and communication, with an explanation after each answer.
The nursing process (ADPIE)
Nurses work in a cycle: assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate. Assessment always comes first, and evaluation sends you back to assessment. When a question asks what to do next, check which step the client is on. If the problem has not been assessed, the answer is almost always to gather more data.
Vital signs you should know cold
- Adult heart rate: about 60 to 100 beats per minute at rest
- Adult respiratory rate: about 12 to 20 breaths per minute
- Blood pressure: below 120/80 mmHg is considered normal in the commonly used US guideline
- Temperature: roughly 36.1 to 37.2 °C (97 to 99 °F), with normal variation through the day
- Oxygen saturation: usually 95% or higher; some chronic lung conditions have lower targets set by the provider
Preventing infection
Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to stop infection spreading. Use soap and water for visibly soiled hands and after contact with Clostridioides difficile, because alcohol rubs do not reliably destroy spores. Standard precautions apply to every client; add contact, droplet or airborne precautions based on how the organism spreads.
Safe medication administration
- Verify the client with two identifiers, such as name and date of birth, never the room number.
- Check the right client, drug, dose, route and time, and also the right documentation, reason and response.
- Know the usual angle for an intramuscular injection: 90 degrees.
- Report and document any error, assess the client first, and file an incident report.
How to study fundamentals
Practice skills out loud: describe what you would do and why. Use mnemonics for lists, but tie each one to a client scenario. Review the questions you miss after a day, not immediately, to test what has stuck.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the nursing process?
A five-step problem-solving method: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. It is how nurses make and review care decisions.
Which vital signs are most important to learn first?
Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature and oxygen saturation, together with pain. Know normal ranges and what changes are urgent.
Why use two patient identifiers?
Room and bed numbers change, so they are unreliable. Two identifiers such as full name and date of birth prevent wrong-client errors.
Is this a substitute for my nursing course?
No. It is a revision tool. Follow your instructor’s materials and your facility’s policies for real care.
WKQuiz is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with the NCSBN, any nursing board or any exam provider, and the questions are original practice material, not real exam items. Content is for education only and is not medical advice.
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