Verbal Communication
Communication involving the use of spoken or written words are sounds; also called oral communication
Nonverbal Communication
Communication without using words, such as gestures and facial expressions
Body language
All if the conscious or unconscious messages a person’s body sends as she communicates; facial expressions, gestures, and posture are examples.
Active listening
A way of communicating that involves giving a person ones full attention while he is speaking and encouraging him to give informational and clarify ideas
Barrier
A block or an obstacle
Culture
A set of learned beliefs, values, traditions, and behaviors shared by a social or ethnic group
Edema
Swelling in body tissues caused by excess fluid
Root
The main part of a words ha contains its basic meaning or definition
Prefix
A word part that comes before the root to help form a new turn
Suffix
A word part added to the end of a root or a prefix to create a new word
Medical chart
Legal record of all medical care a patient, resident, or client receives
Charting
The act of nothing care and observations; documenting.
Minimum Data set (MDS)
A detailed form with guidelines for assessing residents in long-term Care facilities; also details what to do if residents problems are identified.
Care plan
A plan for each resident created by a registered nurse that outlines the tasks that team members must perform to help the resident reach their goals of care
Objective information
Factual information collected using the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch; also called signs.
Subjective information
Information collected from residents. their family members, and their friends; information may not be true, but is what the person reported; also called symptoms
Orientation
A person’s awareness of a person, place, and time.
Vital sign
Measurements— temperatures, pulse, rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure—that monitor the functioning of the vital organs of the body.
Critical thinking
The process of reasoning and analyzing in order to solve problems; for the nursing assistant, critical thinking means making careful observations and immediately reporting all potential problems
Nursing process
An organized method used by nurses to determine residents needs, plan the appropriate care to meet those needs, and evaluate how well the plan of care is working; the five steps are assessments, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation
Care conference
A meeting to share and gather information about a resident in order to develop a care plan
Incident
An accident, problem, or unexpected event that happens during the course of care
incident report
A report documenting an incident and the response to the incident; also called an occurrence, accident, accident/incident, or event report
Sentinel event
An unexpected event that causes serious injury or death; also called adverse event
