Nursing abbreviations and mnemonics
228 terms — 43 memory aids and 185 abbreviations — each with what the letters stand for and how an exam actually asks about it. Free, no account.
14 of these carry a warning.
Some are on The Joint Commission's Official "Do Not Use" List — notations that must be recognized in older records and never written, because each has been misread in ways that caused harm. Others are mnemonics that outlived the guidance that produced them and are still taught anyway. Both kinds are marked on their own page, and the reason is printed there rather than left implied.
Safety and emergency
- CAB Compressions, Airway, Breathingsee warning
- LMNOP Lasix, Morphine, Nitrates, Oxygen, Positionsee warning
- MONA Morphine, Oxygen, Nitroglycerin, Aspirinsee warning
- PASS Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep
- RACE Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish
- RICE Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevationsee warning
- START Simple Triage And Rapid Treatment
Assessment and prioritization
- ABC Airway, Breathing, Circulation
- ABCDE Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure
- ABCDE (skin lesions) Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter, Evolving
- AVPU Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive
- CAUTION Change in bowel or bladder habits, A sore that does not heal, Unusual bleeding or discharge, Thickening or lump, Indigestion or difficulty swallowing, Obvious change in a wart or mole, Nagging cough or hoarsenesssee warning
- DIAPPERS Delirium, Infection, Atrophic vaginitis, Pharmaceuticals, Psychological, Excess urine output, Restricted mobility, Stool impaction
- FAST Face, Arms, Speech, Time
- Five Ps Pain, Pallor, Pulselessness, Paresthesia, Paralysis
- GCS Glasgow Coma Scale
- PERRLA Pupils Equal, Round, Reactive to Light and Accommodation
- SPLATT Symptoms at the time, Previous falls, Location, Activity, Time, Trauma after the fall
Nursing process
Communication and documentation
- DAR Data, Action, Response
- ISBAR Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
- PIE Problem, Intervention, Evaluation
- SBAR Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
- SOAP Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan
- SOAPIE Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan, Implementation, Evaluation
History taking
- COLDSPA Character, Onset, Location, Duration, Severity, Pattern, Associated factors
- OLD CARTS Onset, Location, Duration, Characteristics, Aggravating factors, Relieving factors, Treatment, Severity
- OPQRST Onset, Provocation, Quality, Region, Severity, Time
- SAMPLE Signs and symptoms, Allergies, Medications, Past medical history, Last oral intake, Events leading up
- WILDA Words, Intensity, Location, Duration, Aggravating and alleviating factors
Medication safety
Routes of administration
Frequency and timing
- ac ante cibum — before meals
- BID bis in die — twice a day
- NOW a single dose, promptly
- pc post cibum — after meals
- PRN pro re nata — as needed
- q4h every 4 hours
- q8h every 8 hours
- qAM every morning
- QD quaque die — every daysee warning
- qHS hora somni — at bedtime
- QID quater in die — four times a day
- QOD quaque altera die — every other daysee warning
- STAT statim — immediately
- TID ter in die — three times a day
Units and measures
Documentation shorthand
- AD advance directive
- ADL activities of daily living
- Amb ambulatory / ambulate
- c/o complains of
- DNI do not intubate
- DNR do not resuscitate
- Do Not Use list The Joint Commission’s Official "Do Not Use" List of Abbreviationssee warning
- Dx diagnosis
- EHR electronic health record
- HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
- Hx history
- I&O intake and output
- IU international unitsee warning
- MAR medication administration record
- NAD no acute distress
- NKA no known allergies
- NKDA no known drug allergies
- PMH past medical history
- POA power of attorney
- R/O rule out
- ROM range of motion
- Rx prescription or treatment
- s/p status post
- Sx symptoms
- Tx treatment
- U unitsee warning
- WNL within normal limits
Vital signs and measures
Labs and diagnostics
- BG / Glu blood glucose
- BMP basic metabolic panel
- BUN blood urea nitrogen
- C&S culture and sensitivity
- Ca²⁺ calcium
- CBC complete blood count
- CMP comprehensive metabolic panel
- Cr creatinine
- CRP C-reactive protein
- CT computed tomography
- CXR chest X-ray
- ECG / EKG electrocardiogram
- ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- GFR glomerular filtration rate
- HbA1c glycated hemoglobin
- Hct hematocrit
- Hgb / Hb hemoglobin
- INR international normalized ratio
- K⁺ potassium
- LFT liver function tests
- Mg²⁺ magnesium
- MRI magnetic resonance imaging
- Na⁺ sodium
- PLT platelet count
- PT (lab) prothrombin time
- PTT / aPTT partial thromboplastin time
- RBC red blood cell count
- TSH thyroid-stimulating hormone
- UA urinalysis
- US ultrasound
- WBC white blood cell count
Conditions
- AKI acute kidney injury
- ARDS acute respiratory distress syndrome
- CAD coronary artery disease
- CHF congestive heart failure
- CKD chronic kidney disease
- COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- CVA cerebrovascular accident — stroke
- DI diabetes insipidus
- DKA diabetic ketoacidosis
- DM diabetes mellitus
- DVT deep vein thrombosis
- ESRD end-stage renal disease
- GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease
- HA headache
- HHS hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state
- HTN hypertension
- ICP intracranial pressure
- MI myocardial infarction
- N/V nausea and vomiting
- OA osteoarthritis
- PE pulmonary embolism
- RA rheumatoid arthritis
- SIADH syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone
- SOB shortness of breath
- TBI traumatic brain injury
- TIA transient ischemic attack
- URI upper respiratory infection
- UTI urinary tract infection
Infection prevention
- C. diff Clostridioides difficile
- CAUTI catheter-associated urinary tract infection
- CLABSI central line-associated bloodstream infection
- HAI healthcare-associated infection
- MRSA methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- PPE personal protective equipment
- SSI surgical site infection
- TB tuberculosis
- VAP ventilator-associated pneumonia
- VRE vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
Equipment and therapies
- BiPAP bilevel positive airway pressure
- CPAP continuous positive airway pressure
- CVC central venous catheter
- ETT endotracheal tube
- Foley indwelling urinary catheter
- NC nasal cannula
- NGT nasogastric tube
- NRB non-rebreather mask
- O₂ oxygen
- PCA patient-controlled analgesia
- PEG percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
- PICC peripherally inserted central catheter
- SCD sequential compression device
- TED hose thromboembolic deterrent stockings
- TPN total parenteral nutrition
- W/C wheelchair
Maternal and newborn
- APGAR Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration
- BUBBLE-HE Breasts, Uterus, Bladder, Bowel, Lochia, Episiotomy, Homans sign, Emotional statussee warning
- GTPAL Gravida, Term, Preterm, Abortions, Living children
- REEDA Redness, Edema, Ecchymosis, Discharge, Approximation
- VEAL CHOP Variable–Cord, Early–Head, Acceleration–OK, Late–Placental
Pharmacology patterns
Lab and diagnostic patterns
Mental health
Patient teaching
Roles and settings
- APRN advanced practice registered nurse
- CNA certified nursing assistant
- ED / ER emergency department / emergency room
- HHC home health care
- ICU intensive care unit
- L&D labor and delivery
- LPN / LVN licensed practical nurse / licensed vocational nurse
- LTC long-term care
- MD doctor of medicine
- NP nurse practitioner
- OR operating room
- OT occupational therapist / occupational therapy
- PA physician assistant / physician associate
- PACU post-anesthesia care unit
- PT physical therapist / physical therapy
- RN registered nurse
- RT respiratory therapist
- SLP speech-language pathologist
- SNF skilled nursing facility
Every term, A to Z
Studying for the TEAS or the HESI A2? Start with a practice test.
Free questions for every section of both exams, with an explanation after each answer. The word parts these abbreviations are built from — hypo, hyper, brady, tachy, -itis, -emia — are tested directly on both.
Frequently asked
- What does RACE stand for in nursing?
- Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish — the order of response taught for a fire in a healthcare facility. It pairs with PASS, which covers how an extinguisher is operated.
- What does SBAR stand for?
- Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — the standard structure for handing information to another clinician so that nothing important is left to the end of the call.
- Which abbreviations should never be used?
- The Joint Commission maintains an Official "Do Not Use" List, which includes U and u for unit, IU, QD, QOD, trailing zeros, missing leading zeros, and MS, MSO4 and MgSO4. Each has been misread in ways that caused harm.
- Do entrance exams test these directly?
- The TEAS and HESI A2 test the word parts these are built from — prefixes, roots and suffixes — more often than the abbreviations themselves. The abbreviations become unavoidable the day your program starts.
Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by ATI (Assessment Technologies Institute), Elsevier, or any nursing program. TEAS® and HESI® are trademarks of their respective owners. Practice questions here are original study material, not the official exams.