NCLEX-RN® Client Needs
NCLEX-RN® questions are organized along four major client needs. Let's take a look:
Safe and Effective Care Environment
The client need, Safe and Effective Care Environment, includes two concepts: Management and Care and Safety and Infection Control.
Management of Care accounts for 13-19 percent of questions on the NCLEX-RN exam. The nursing actions included in this subcategory are Advanced Directives, Advocacy, Case Management, Client Rights, Concepts of Management, Confidentiality, Consultation, Continuity of Care, Quality Improvement, Delegation, Establishing Priorities, Ethical Practice, Incident Reports, Informed Consent, Legal Responsibilities, Organ Donation, Referrals, Resource Management, and Supervision.
Safety and Infection Control accounts for 8-14 percent of exam questions. Nursing actions include Accident Prevention, Disaster Planning, Error Prevention, Hazardous Materials, Medical and Surgical Asepsis, Standard Precautions, and Use of Restraints.
Health Promotion and Maintenance
The second client need is Health Promotion and Maintenance. These questions account for 6-12 percent of the exam. Nursing actions tested include the Aging Process, Ante/Intra/Postpartum and Newborn, Developmental Stages and Transitions, Expected Body Image Changes, Family Planning, Family Systems, Human Sexuality, Disease Prevention, Health Screening, Immunizations, Health and Wellness, Lifestyle Choices, Physical Assessment Techniques, and Health Promotion Programs.
Psychosocial Integrity
The third client need is Psychosocial Integrity. It accounts for 6-12 percent of the exam and tested nursing actions include Coping Mechanisms, Counseling Techniques, Grief and Loss, Mental Health Concepts, Spiritual Influence on Health, Sensory/Perceptual Alterations, Situational Role Changes, Stress Management, Support Systems, Therapeutic Interactions, Unexpected Body Image Changes, Chemical Dependency, Behavioral Interventions, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Psychopathology, Therapeutic Milieu, Crisis Intervention, Elder Abuse, and Sexual Abuse.
Physiological Integrity
The final client need is Physiological Integrity. It includes four concepts: Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential, and Physiological Adaptation.
Basic Care and Comfort accounts for 6-12 percent of questions on the NCLEX-RN exam. The nursing actions included in this subcategory are Assistive Devices, Elimination, Mobility, Nonpharmacological Comfort Interventions, Nutrition and Oral Hydration, Palliative/Comfort Care, Personal Hygiene, as well as Rest and Sleep.
The concept of Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies accounts for 13-19 percent of the exam. Tested nursing actions include Adverse Effects, Contrindications, Blood and Blood Products, Central Venous Access Devices, Chemotherapy, Expected Effects, Intravenous Therapy, Medication Administration, Parenteral Fluids, Pharmacological Actions, Pharmacological Agents, Pharmacological Interactions, Pharmacological Pain Management, Side Effects and Total Parenteral Nutrition.
Reduction of Risk Potential accounts for 13-19 percent of the exam. Its tested nursing actions include Diagnostic Tests, Laboratory Values, Pathophysiology, Potential for Body System Alterations, Potential for Complications of Diagnostic Tests, Procedures, Surgery, and Health Alterations, as well as Therapeutic Procedures.
Finally, Physiological Adaptation accounts for 11-17 percent of the exam. Its tested nursing actions include Alterations in the Body Systems, Fluid and Electrolyte Imbalances, Hemodynamics, Infectious Diseases, Medical Emergencies, Pathophysiology, Radiation Therapy, Respiratory Care, and Unexpected Response to Therapies.
