NCLEX Safety, Infection Control and Prioritization Flashcards
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How to run these cards
Work in one direction first: read the front, say the answer out loud, then open the card. Saying it out loud is not a gimmick — recognising an answer and producing one are different skills, and the exam only rewards the second. Anything you get wrong goes into a pile you repeat at the end of the session, then again the next day.
Do not run a deck front-to-back every time. Order is itself a memory cue, so a deck you always run in sequence will feel mastered and then fall apart inside a mixed practice test.
Safety & Infection Control
Precautions, PPE, restraints and error prevention.
15 cards — 8 easy, 7 medium.
PPE application order
Gown, mask, goggles, gloves.
Removal is the reverse dirtiest-first: gloves, goggles, gown, mask.
Which organisms require soap and water rather than alcohol rub?
C. difficile and norovirus.
Alcohol does not kill spores. Bleach-based cleaning is used for surfaces.
Contact precaution mnemonic
MRS WEE: Multidrug-resistant organisms, RSV, Skin infections, Wound drainage, Enteric C. difficile, Eye infections.
Gown and gloves on entry, dedicated equipment, private room preferred.
Droplet precaution examples
Influenza, pertussis, meningococcal disease, mumps, rubella, many bacterial pneumonias.
Surgical mask within about two metres; client wears the mask for transport.
How are restraints secured?
Quick-release knot tied to the movable bed frame, never to a side rail.
Orders are time-limited and never PRN.
Two acceptable client identifiers?
Full name and date of birth (or medical record number).
Room number is never an identifier.
Which medications need an independent double check?
Insulin, heparin, opioids, concentrated electrolytes, chemotherapy.
These are the classic high-alert medications.
Disaster triage colours
Red immediate, yellow delayed, green minor, black expectant.
Red means life-threatening but survivable with immediate care.
Evacuation order in a fire?
Ambulatory first, then wheelchair, then bedbound.
Move the clients who need the fewest staff first.
What to do if a radiation implant dislodges?
Pick it up with long-handled forceps and place it in the lead container in the room.
Never touch it with hands, even gloved. Time, distance, shielding.
Home oxygen safety teaching
No smoking or open flame, no petroleum products on the face, cotton bedding, keep away from heat sources.
Oxygen does not burn but makes everything else burn faster.
Neutropenic precautions
No fresh flowers, no standing water, no raw produce, no sick visitors, no live vaccines.
Fever may be the only sign of infection when neutrophils are low.
How is a verbal order handled?
Write it down, read it back to the prescriber, receive confirmation. Emergencies only.
Read-back closes the loop and catches mishearing.
Never recap a needle. What is done instead?
Engage the safety device and dispose at the point of use in a sharps container.
Containers are replaced when three-quarters full.
What makes side rails a restraint?
Raising all four rails.
Two raised rails are usually a safety measure, not a restraint.
Prioritization
Who comes first, and the framework that decides it.
10 cards — 5 easy, 5 medium.
The priority ladder
ABC, then Maslow, then acute over chronic, then assess before act.
Work down in order; the first rung that separates the options gives the answer.
Never delegate what you can…
EAT: Evaluate, Assess, Teach. Plus anything unstable.
Assistive personnel get routine, predictable tasks for stable clients.
Which client goes to the licensed practical nurse?
The stable client with a predictable outcome.
New, unstable, first-dose or newly admitted clients stay with the registered nurse.
When does the nurse act before assessing?
Obstructed airway, cardiac arrest, active haemorrhage, a client actively harming themselves.
In every other case, assessment comes first.
Which client do you see first?
The one whose finding does not fit their diagnosis.
Expected findings can usually wait; unexpected ones cannot.
Which client goes to the float or agency nurse?
The most stable, most routine client on the unit.
Unit-specific competence stays with the regular staff.
Order of the nursing process
Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation.
Collect, interpret, plan, act, measure.
Maslow order
Physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, self-actualisation.
Use it when every option is physiological or every option is psychosocial.
Five rights of delegation
Right task, circumstance, person, direction and communication, supervision and evaluation.
Accountability for the outcome never transfers away from the delegating nurse.
How is an unsafe order handled?
Clarify with the prescriber. If unresolved, withhold and escalate through the chain of command.
Never carry out an order you believe is unsafe simply because it was written.
What these cards cover
These 25 cards sit across 10 topics in the test plan. If a whole topic keeps coming back wrong, the problem is the underlying content rather than the recall — go and read that topic before you run the deck again.
| Topic | Focus | Cards | Client need category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Precautions and Hand Hygiene | The baseline that applies to every client | 3 | Safety and Infection Control |
| Transmission-Based Precautions | Airborne, droplet, contact and protective | 3 | Safety and Infection Control |
| Restraints, Falls and Environmental Safety | Least restrictive intervention first | 2 | Safety and Infection Control |
| Error Prevention and Client Identification | Rights of medication, verification and time out | 3 | Safety and Infection Control |
| Emergency Response and Disaster Planning | Triage, evacuation and mass casualty | 2 | Safety and Infection Control |
| Equipment and Hazardous Material Safety | Oxygen, electrical, chemical and radiation | 2 | Safety and Infection Control |
| Prioritisation of Care | Deciding who and what comes first | 4 | Management of Care |
| Delegation and Supervision | Who can do what, and what stays with you | 3 | Management of Care |
| The Nursing Process | The order that decides the answer | 2 | Integrated Processes |
| Quality Improvement and Performance | Reporting, near misses, and systems thinking | 1 | Management of Care |
Printable answer key
The same 25 cards laid flat, for revision on paper or a last pass the night before. Cover the right-hand columns with a sheet and work down.
| Prompt | Answer | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| PPE application order | Gown, mask, goggles, gloves. | Removal is the reverse dirtiest-first: gloves, goggles, gown, mask. |
| Which organisms require soap and water rather than alcohol rub? | C. difficile and norovirus. | Alcohol does not kill spores. Bleach-based cleaning is used for surfaces. |
| Contact precaution mnemonic | MRS WEE: Multidrug-resistant organisms, RSV, Skin infections, Wound drainage, Enteric C. difficile, Eye infections. | Gown and gloves on entry, dedicated equipment, private room preferred. |
| Droplet precaution examples | Influenza, pertussis, meningococcal disease, mumps, rubella, many bacterial pneumonias. | Surgical mask within about two metres; client wears the mask for transport. |
| How are restraints secured? | Quick-release knot tied to the movable bed frame, never to a side rail. | Orders are time-limited and never PRN. |
| Two acceptable client identifiers? | Full name and date of birth (or medical record number). | Room number is never an identifier. |
| Which medications need an independent double check? | Insulin, heparin, opioids, concentrated electrolytes, chemotherapy. | These are the classic high-alert medications. |
| Disaster triage colours | Red immediate, yellow delayed, green minor, black expectant. | Red means life-threatening but survivable with immediate care. |
| Evacuation order in a fire? | Ambulatory first, then wheelchair, then bedbound. | Move the clients who need the fewest staff first. |
| What to do if a radiation implant dislodges? | Pick it up with long-handled forceps and place it in the lead container in the room. | Never touch it with hands, even gloved. Time, distance, shielding. |
| Home oxygen safety teaching | No smoking or open flame, no petroleum products on the face, cotton bedding, keep away from heat sources. | Oxygen does not burn but makes everything else burn faster. |
| Neutropenic precautions | No fresh flowers, no standing water, no raw produce, no sick visitors, no live vaccines. | Fever may be the only sign of infection when neutrophils are low. |
| How is a verbal order handled? | Write it down, read it back to the prescriber, receive confirmation. Emergencies only. | Read-back closes the loop and catches mishearing. |
| Never recap a needle. What is done instead? | Engage the safety device and dispose at the point of use in a sharps container. | Containers are replaced when three-quarters full. |
| What makes side rails a restraint? | Raising all four rails. | Two raised rails are usually a safety measure, not a restraint. |
| The priority ladder | ABC, then Maslow, then acute over chronic, then assess before act. | Work down in order; the first rung that separates the options gives the answer. |
| Never delegate what you can… | EAT: Evaluate, Assess, Teach. Plus anything unstable. | Assistive personnel get routine, predictable tasks for stable clients. |
| Which client goes to the licensed practical nurse? | The stable client with a predictable outcome. | New, unstable, first-dose or newly admitted clients stay with the registered nurse. |
| When does the nurse act before assessing? | Obstructed airway, cardiac arrest, active haemorrhage, a client actively harming themselves. | In every other case, assessment comes first. |
| Which client do you see first? | The one whose finding does not fit their diagnosis. | Expected findings can usually wait; unexpected ones cannot. |
| Which client goes to the float or agency nurse? | The most stable, most routine client on the unit. | Unit-specific competence stays with the regular staff. |
| Order of the nursing process | Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation. | Collect, interpret, plan, act, measure. |
| Maslow order | Physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, self-actualisation. | Use it when every option is physiological or every option is psychosocial. |
| Five rights of delegation | Right task, circumstance, person, direction and communication, supervision and evaluation. | Accountability for the outcome never transfers away from the delegating nurse. |
| How is an unsafe order handled? | Clarify with the prescriber. If unresolved, withhold and escalate through the chain of command. | Never carry out an order you believe is unsafe simply because it was written. |
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