Healthcare Terminology
LANGUAGE FOR CARE
Learn the term, then use it in a sentence about care.
This is a starter list for students building a healthcare vocabulary. Definitions are short study notes, not a medical dictionary and not a scope-of-practice statement.
- ADL — activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, and moving.
- Ambulate — walk.
- BP — blood pressure.
- DNR — do not resuscitate. Follow the care plan and the nurse’s direction. Do not guess.
- Dyspnea — difficult breathing. Report it.
- Edema — swelling. Observe and report.
- NPO — nothing by mouth. Check before offering food or fluid.
- PPE — personal protective equipment, such as gloves or a gown.
- PRN — as needed, according to the plan of care.
- q — every, as in a schedule written by the clinical team.
- ROM — range of motion.
- STAT — immediately. Report and respond as directed.
- TPR — temperature, pulse, and respiration.
- Void — urinate.
When a word changes what you are allowed to do, ask the instructor or the nurse. Do not expand your role from an abbreviation.
On this page
Use this page for this part of your preparation. Return to the study hub when you want a different resource.
AZ SkillCare provides educational preparation and student support. AZ SkillCare is not Prometric and is not the Florida Board of Nursing.
- Say the term out loud and connect it to one care task.
- Notice abbreviations in practice questions. They often change the answer.
- If you are unsure, ask before you act.
- Bilingual support, where a program offers it, can include English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
Keep going from the study hub.
Choose another resource, or tell AZ SkillCare what you are preparing for.