Future Nurse, Welcome to Your English & Grammar Lab!

This 30-Day plan is designed for student nurses, CNAs, LPNs, and RNs who want strong Medical English, charting grammar, and exam skills for TEAS, HESI, SAT/ACT, and NCLEX-style questions.

📅 Your 30-Day Nursing English Mission

  • Days 1–4: Grammar foundations for safe nurse documentation.
  • Days 5–10: Reading med orders, lab reports, and discharge instructions.
  • Days 11–20: Anatomy & Physiology Vocabulary (textbooks + lab reports).
  • Days 21–30: Pharmacology & Advanced Reading (med safety & NCLEX stems).

✨ Goal: Write clear nursing notes, understand doctors’ orders, and answer English questions on nursing entrance exams with confidence.

Day 1: Clinical Basics for Nurses

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Day 1: Sentence Foundations – Subject · Verb · Complete Thought

NURSING ENGLISH · WEEK 1
Day 1 Sentence Foundations · Bilingual
Subject · Verb · Complete Thought for Nurse Documentation

Learn what makes a complete sentence so you can write safe, clear nursing notes and answer grammar questions on nursing entrance exams.

Nursing Charting
English + Amharic
Exam Skills
🎯 Today’s Learning Goals · ዛሬ የመማሪያ ግቦች
English (Nursing Focus)

Identify the subject and verb in a sentence and decide if it expresses a complete thought in nursing notes.

Amharic

በየታካሚው መዝገብ ውስጥ በምትጻፍበት ዓረፍተ ነገር subject እና verb መለየት፣ ዓረፍተ ነገሩም የተሟላ ሐሳብ እንደሚገልጽ መወሰን ትችላለህ።

Exam Skills

Recognize the difference between a complete sentence and a fragment on SAT/TEAS/HESI style questions.

Exam Focus

ፍጹም ዓረፍተ ነገር እና fragment መለያየት፣ ይህንንም ችሎታ በ nursing entrance exams በመጠቀም ትማራለህ።

Why Sentence Foundations Matter for Nurses
ለነርሶች ለምን አስፈላጊ ነው?

English

In nursing, a missing subject or verb can change patient safety. Clear sentences help doctors, nurses, and pharmacists understand the same plan. Exams like TEAS/HESI/SAT also test whether you can recognize and fix incomplete sentences.

Amharic

በነርሲንግ ሥራ ውስጥ የተሳሳተ ዓረፍተ ነገር የታካሚ ደህንነትን ሊያፈነዳ ይችላል። ግልጽ ዓረፍተ ነገር ዶክተር፣ ነርስና ፋርማሲስት በአንድ መረጃ ላይ እንዲሆኑ ያግዛል። የመግቢያ ፈተናዎችም የተሟላ ዓረፍተ ነገር መለየት ትችላለህ እንደሆነ ይፈትናሉ።

Key Idea of Day 1
ዋና ሐሳብ – ቀን 1

Formula for Nurse Notes: Subject (who?) + Verb (what happened?) + Complete Thought (so what?) = Safe Nursing Sentence

በአማርኛ

የነርስ መዝገብ ዓረፍተ ነገር ለመሆን subject፣ verb እና የተሟላ ሐሳብ መኖር ያስፈልጋል። ይህም ፍጹም መረጃ የሚሰጥ እና ተሳሳት የማይፈጥር መዝገብ ማለት ነው።

Part 1 – The Subject (Nursing Examples)
ክፍል 1 – Subject ምንድነው?

English

The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about.

  • The patient is resting comfortably.
  • The nurse administered the medication.
  • The IV pump alarmed suddenly.

Amharic

Subject ዓረፍተ ነገሩ ስለ ማን ወይም ስለ ምን እንደሆነ የሚነግረን ክፍል ነው። በነርስ መዝገብ፣ ብዙ ጊዜ “the patient” ወይም “the nurse” ይሆናል።

ምሳሌ፦ “The patient is resting comfortably.” ውስጥ subject = the patient።

Subject Trap on Exams

English

Prepositional phrases can hide the real subject:

The list of medications is on the table.
True subject = list, not medications.

Amharic

“of / in / with …” ያሉ ሐረጎች ውስጥ ያለው ቃል subject አይደለም። “The list of medications is on the table.” ውስጥ subject = list ነው።

Part 2 – The Verb (Nursing Actions)
ክፍል 2 – Verb ምንድነው?

English

The verb tells what the subject does or what the situation is.

  • The nurse assessed the patient.
  • The vital signs are stable.
  • He reports chest pain.

Amharic

Verb ታካሚው ወይም ነርሱ የሚፈጥረውን እንቅስቃሴ ወይም የሚገኝበትን ሁኔታ ይገልጻል። “assessed / are / reports …” ያሉ ቃላት ግስ ናቸው።

Verb Trap – -ing and “to” Forms

⚠ Exam Trap: -ing words and “to + verb” look like verbs but are not always the main verb.

  • Checking the blood pressure, the nurse noticed bleeding. → main verb = noticed
  • To reduce the fever, the nurse gave acetaminophen. → main verb = gave

Part 3 – Complete Thought (Safe Communication)
ክፍል 3 – የተሟላ ሐሳብ

English

A nursing sentence must give a complete message. If someone reading your note can still ask “So what?” or “What happened?”, the sentence is incomplete.

Amharic

ነርስ መዝገብ ሲጻፍ የታነበው ሰው “ከዚያ በኋላ ምን ሆነ?” ካለ ሐሳቡ አልተሟላም ማለት ነው።

Quick Practice – Nursing Sentences
ፈጣን መልስ – ነርስ ዓረፍተ ነገር

  1. Because the patient was in severe pain.
  2. The patient reported dizziness after standing.
  3. When the IV pump alarmed.
  4. The nurse documented the medication administration.

Answer key: (1) Fragment – incomplete, (2) Complete, (3) Fragment – incomplete, (4) Complete.

Day 1 Summary · የቀን 1 አጭር መደመር
  • Every safe nursing sentence needs a clear subject, verb, and complete thought.
  • Watch out for subjects hiding in prepositional phrases (of, in, on, with...).
  • -ing and “to + verb” forms are not always the main verb.
  • Clauses starting with because, although, when, while, since are often fragments if they stand alone.

Day 2: Fragments – Fixing Incomplete Nursing Notes

NURSING ENGLISH · WEEK 1
Day 2 Fragments · Bilingual
Fragments – When Nursing Sentences Are Not Finished

Today you’ll learn how to see when a sentence in a chart or exam question is missing a subject, verb, or complete thought – and how to fix it correctly.

Nursing Documentation
Fragments
Exam Practice
🎯 Today’s Learning Goals · ዛሬ የመማሪያ ግቦች
English

Recognize sentence fragments in nursing charts and exam passages.

Amharic

በየታካሚ መዝገብ እና በፈተና ጥያቄዎች ውስጥ የማይተሟሉ fragments መለየት ትችላለህ።

English

Repair fragments by adding what is missing or joining with a complete sentence.

Amharic

የጎደለውን subject/verb በመጨመር ወይም ከሌላ ዓረፍተ ነገር ጋር በመጣመር fragments መጠገን ትማራለህ።

What Is a Fragment?
Fragment ምንድነው?

English

A fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence but is missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

  • After the medication was given. ❌ (What happened?)
  • The patient with severe chest pain. ❌ (What about the patient?)

Amharic

Fragment የሚመስል ግን ፍጹም ዓረፍተ ነገር ያልሆነ የቃላት ቡድን ነው። subject ወይም verb ወይም የተሟላ ሐሳብ ይጎድለዋል።

Three Common Fragment Types (Nursing Context)

  1. Missing subject – “Reported dizziness.” (Who?)
  2. Missing verb – “The patient in room 5.” (Is doing what?)
  3. Dependent word only – “Because the patient was tired.” (So what?)

Fragment Triggers in Nursing English
በነርስ መዝገብ ውስጥ የ fragment ወጥመዶች

⚠ 1. Subordinating words

because, although, when, while, since, after, before, unless often start fragments if you don’t finish the idea.

⚠ 2. Long descriptions with no action

“The elderly patient with dementia and multiple falls.” → description only, no action = fragment.

How to Fix a Fragment in Nurse Notes
ከነርስ መዝገብ ውስጥ እንዴት እንደሚስተካከል

  1. Attach to a nearby sentence
    ❌ “Because the patient was in pain.”
    ✅ “The nurse notified the provider because the patient was in pain.”
  2. Add subject or verb
    ❌ “The patient in room 3.”
    ✅ “The patient in room 3 is resting in bed.”
  3. Remove the dependent word
    ❌ “Although the vital signs were stable.”
    ✅ “The vital signs were stable.”

Interactive Repair – Tap to Reveal Fix
በእጅህ ተጠግነው ይወጡ

🔧 Fragment Repair Workshop (Nursing Edition)

❌ After the insulin was given to the patient in room 5.
✅ After the insulin was given to the patient in room 5, her blood sugar decreased.
❌ While the nurse was checking the IV line.
✅ While the nurse was checking the IV line, she noticed redness at the site.
❌ The patient with diabetes and high blood pressure.
✅ The patient with diabetes and high blood pressure requires close monitoring.

Mini Quiz – Fragment or Complete?
ፈጣን ፈተና – fragment ወይስ ፍጹም?

  1. Because the nurse double-checked the medication label.
  2. The patient walked slowly to the bathroom with assistance.
  3. Although the lab results were normal.
  4. He felt better after drinking oral fluids.

Answers: (1) Fragment, (2) Complete, (3) Fragment, (4) Complete.

Day 3: Run-On Sentences & Comma Splices

NURSING ENGLISH · WEEK 1
Day 3 Run-Ons · Bilingual
Run-Ons – Too Many Nursing Ideas in One Line

Learn to fix sentences that push two complete ideas together without proper punctuation – common in rushed nursing notes and exam passages.

Run-ons
Comma Splice
FANBOYS / Semicolon
🎯 Today’s Learning Goals · ዛሬ የመማሪያ ግቦች
English

Identify run-on sentences and comma splices in nursing documentation and on exams.

Amharic

በመዝገብ እና በፈተና ጥያቄዎች ውስጥ run-on sentences እና comma splice መለየት ትችላለህ።

English

Use period, semicolon, or FANBOYS to correct run-ons safely.

Amharic

Run-ons በፒሪድ፣ semicolon ወይም FANBOYS መጠቀም በትክክል መጠገን ትማራለህ።

What Is a Run-On Sentence?
Run-on Sentence ምንድነው?

English

A run-on happens when two complete sentences (independent clauses) are joined with no punctuation or with a comma only (comma splice).

Example (comma splice):
❌ The pulse is low, call the doctor.

Amharic

Run-on sentence ማለት ሁለት ፍጹም ዓረፍተ ነገሮች በምንም አይነት እርፍያ ሳይኖር ወይም ብቻውን በኮማ ሲጣመሩ ነው።

The Three Correct Repairs
ሶስቱ ትክክለኛ መጠገኛ መንገዶች

Original: ❌ The pulse is low, call the doctor.

  1. 1. Period
    ✅ The pulse is low. Call the doctor.
  2. 2. Semicolon
    ✅ The pulse is low; call the doctor.
  3. 3. Comma + FANBOYS
    ✅ The pulse is low, so call the doctor.

ማስታወሻ – FANBOYS:

For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So – እነዚህ የሚባሉ ቃላት ብቻዎቹ በኮማ ጋር በመጠቀም ሁለት ፍጹም ዓረፍተ ነገሮችን ይጣመራሉ።

Comma Splice Danger in Nursing Notes
የኮማ ወጥመድ

English

Nurses often rush and use a comma where a period or “so/but” is needed. On exams, the test uses comma splices and offers “no change” as a wrong answer.

❌ The patient is stable, he will go home today.

Amharic

በፍጥነት ሲጻፍ ነርሶች ሁለት ትልቅ ሐሳቦችን ብቻ በኮማ ይጣመራሉ። ይህ ግን ትክክለኛ አይደለም።

Interactive: Fix These Run-Ons
ተግባራዊ – እነዚህን ያስተካክሉ

🛠️ Tap to See One Possible Fix

❌ The patient was in pain, the nurse increased the dose.
✅ The patient was in pain, so the nurse increased the dose.
❌ The exam was difficult the students needed more time.
✅ The exam was difficult, so the students needed more time.
or ✅ The exam was difficult; the students needed more time.
❌ The medication is effective, it has strong side effects.
✅ The medication is effective, but it has strong side effects.

Mini Quiz – Run-On or Correct?
ፈጣን ፈተና – run-on ወይስ ትክክለኛ?

  1. The nurse explained the procedure and the patient signed the consent form.
  2. The lab is closing soon, we must send the blood sample now.
  3. The room was cold, so the nurse brought an extra blanket.
  4. The surgery was long the team was very tired.

Answers: (1) Correct, (2) Run-on (comma splice), (3) Correct, (4) Run-on.

Day 4: Subject–Verb Agreement for Nurses

NURSING ENGLISH · WEEK 1
Day 4 Agreement · Bilingual
The “S” Rule – Matching Subjects & Verbs in Nursing Sentences

Master singular vs. plural subjects and verbs, especially in long nursing sentences full of lab values, equipment, and “of” phrases.

Subject–Verb Agreement
Nursing Examples
Exam Skills
🎯 Today’s Learning Goals · ዛሬ የመማሪያ ግቦች
English

Apply the “S rule” to choose the correct verb in nursing sentences.

Amharic

“S rule” ተብሎ የሚታወቀውን ደንብ በመጠቀም ትክክለኛውን verb መምረጥ ትችላለህ።

English

Handle tricky structures: “of” phrases, “and” vs “or”, and words like “everyone” and “each”.

Amharic

“The group of patients”, “either the nurse or the doctors …” ያሉ ወጥመዶችን በቀላሉ መቆጣጠር ትማራለህ።

The Basic “S” Rule
መሠረታዊው የ S ደንብ

English

  • Nouns: add S → usually plural
    patient → patients
  • Verbs: add S → usually singular
    They walk · He walks

Amharic

ብዙዎቹ ጊዜ:

  • ስም ላይ S መጨመር → ብዙ ነገር (plural)።
  • ግስ ላይ S መጨመር → ነጠላ subject (he/she/it) እንደሆነ ያሳያል።

Trick 1 – Prepositional Phrases
ወጥመድ 1 – የ “of / in / with …” ሐረጎች

English

The true subject is often before the prepositional phrase.

  • The group of patients is waiting for discharge.
  • The box of syringes was opened.

Amharic

“of / in / with …” ያሉ ሐረጎች ውስጥ ያለው ቃል subject አይደለም። እውነተኛው subject ከእነሱ በፊት ይገኛል።

Trick 2 – “And” vs “Or”
ወጥመድ 2 – “And” እና “Or”

  • A and B → plural subject
    The nurse and the doctor are discussing the plan.
  • Either A or B → verb agrees with the closer subject
    Either the nurse or the doctors are covering the shift.
    Either the doctors or the nurse is covering the shift.

Trick 3 – Indefinite Pronouns
ወጥመድ 3 – የማይገለጹ ስሞች

Usually singular:

Everyone, everybody, each, someone, anybody, no one

✅ Everyone is ready for clinical.
❌ Everyone are ready for clinical.

በአማርኛ

“Everyone / each / somebody …” እንደ ነጠላ subject ይታሰባሉ። ስለዚህ verb ምላሻም “is / was …” ይሆናል።

Interactive: Choose the Correct Verb
ተግባራዊ – ትክክለኛውን verb ምረጥ

  1. The list of medications (is / are) on the bedside table.
  2. Each of the patients (was / were) given discharge instructions.
  3. The nurse and the physician (discuss / discusses) the lab results every morning.
  4. Either the charge nurse or the staff nurses (is / are) available this evening.

Answers: (1) is, (2) was, (3) discuss, (4) are.

Day 4 Summary · የቀን 4 አጭር መደመር
  • Find the true subject before any “of / in / with …” phrase.
  • “A and B” → plural verb. “Either/Neither A or B” → verb agrees with the closest subject.
  • Pronouns like everyone, each, somebody are usually singular.
  • On nursing exams, long medical phrases are often there to hide the real subject.

Day 5: Reading Medication Orders Safely

READING & SAFETY · WEEK 2
Day 5 Medication Orders · Bilingual
How to Read Med Orders Like a Safe Nurse

Today you’ll practice reading written medication orders, understanding dose, route, frequency, and special instructions – and spotting dangerous mistakes in English.

MAR & Orders
Dosage & Route
Error Prevention
🎯 Today’s Nursing Goals
Goal 1

Identify the 5 basic parts of a medication order in English (drug, dose, route, frequency, reason).

ግብ 1

የመድሃኒት ትእዛዝ 5 ዋና ክፍሎችን በእንግሊዝኛ መለየት – መድሃኒት፣ መጠን፣ መንገድ፣ ድግግሞሽ፣ ምክንያት።

Goal 2

Read sample orders and translate to simple English in your own words.

ግብ 2

የመድሃኒት ትእዛዞችን በቀላሉ ቃላት ማተርጓሚያ እንዴት እንደምትገልጽ መማር።

5 Parts of a Safe Medication Order
የመድሃኒት ትእዛዝ 5 ዋና ክፍሎች

English

  1. Medication name – e.g., Acetaminophen
  2. Dosage – e.g., 650 mg
  3. Route – PO, IV, IM, subcut, PR, etc.
  4. Frequency – q4h, BID, TID, qHS, PRN…
  5. Indication – for pain, for fever, for nausea

በአማርኛ

አንድ እርግጠኛ የመድሃኒት ትእዛዝ እነዚህን መያዝ አለበት፦

  • የመድሃኒቱ ስም፣ ምሳ. “Acetaminophen”
  • መጠን – 650 mg
  • መንገድ – በአፍ (PO), በደም ስር (IV)…
  • ድግግሞሽ – q4h (ከ4 ሰዓት ወደ 4 ሰዓት)…
  • ለምን – ለትኩሳት፣ ለህመም፣ ለማቅለሽለሽ…

Sample Orders – Nurse Translation Practice

  1. Order: “Acetaminophen 650 mg PO q6h PRN fever > 38.5°C.”
    Your English: Give 650 mg Tylenol by mouth every 6 hours if temperature is above 38.5°C.
  2. Order: “Ondansetron 4 mg IV q8h PRN nausea.”
    Your English: Give 4 mg Ondansetron IV every 8 hours as needed for nausea.
  3. Order: “Heparin 5000 units subcut BID.”
    Your English: Give 5000 units of Heparin under the skin two times per day.

Mini Error-Spotting Quiz
የስህተት ፈተና

Which orders are unsafe or unclear?

  1. “Insulin 10 units.”
  2. “Morphine 2 mg IV now.”
  3. “Lasix 40 mg, give 1.”

Answer: #1 and #3 are unsafe/unclear (missing type of insulin, missing route or frequency, etc.).

Day 6: Reading Lab Reports (CBC & Basic Panels)

READING & SAFETY · WEEK 2
Day 6 Lab Reports · Bilingual
Understanding Common Lab Terms in English

Today you’ll practice reading common lab abbreviations and phrases in English so you can understand CBC, BMP, and basic lab comments in reports.

CBC & BMP
Lab Values
Nursing Assessment
🔬 Key Lab Vocabulary

English Terms

  • WBC – White Blood Cell count
  • Hgb – Hemoglobin
  • Platelets – Clotting cells
  • Na+ – Sodium
  • K+ – Potassium
  • Creatinine – Kidney function marker

በአማርኛ ትርጉም

  • WBC – የነጭ ደም ሕዋስ ብዛት
  • Hgb – ሄሞግሎቢን (የደም ቀይ ሕዋስ ፕሬጅ)
  • Platelets – የደም መረጋጋት ሕዋሳት
  • Na+ – ሶዲየም
  • K+ – ፖታስየም
  • Creatinine – የኩላሊት ስራ ምልክት

Sample Lab Report Line

Report: “WBC 15.2 (H), patient febrile, possible infection.”

Your English: White blood cells are high at 15.2, the patient has a fever, probably infection.

የአማርኛ ማብራሪያ

WBC ዝቅ እና ከፍ መሆን የኢንፌክሽን ወይም ሌሎች ሁኔታዎች ምልክት ሊሆን ይችላል። በእንግሊዝኛ መንበብ አስፈላጊ ነው።

Mini Lab Reading Quiz

Read and explain in simple English:

  1. “K+ 2.9 (L) – patient reports weakness and leg cramps.”
  2. “Creatinine 2.1 (H) – decreased urine output, monitor renal function.”

Sample Answers:

  • #1 – Potassium is low at 2.9, patient feels weak and has cramps.
  • #2 – Creatinine is high at 2.1, kidneys may not work well, check urine and kidney function.

Day 7: Reading & Writing Discharge Instructions

READING & TEACHING · WEEK 2
Day 7 Discharge · Bilingual
Plain English for Patient Teaching

Learn how to read and write simple, safe discharge instructions in English, and how to explain them in Amharic.

Patient Education
Plain Language
Safety

Example Discharge Sentences

English

  • “Take this antibiotic 2 times a day for 7 days.”
  • “Do not drive or operate heavy machinery after taking this medicine.”
  • “Call your doctor if you have fever, chest pain, or trouble breathing.”

በአማርኛ ማብራሪያ

  • “ይህን መድሃኒት በቀን 2 ጊዜ ለ7 ቀን ይውሰዱ።”
  • “ይህን መድሃኒት ከወሰዱ በኋላ መኪና አትነዱ፣ ከባድ መሳሪያ አትጠቀሙ።”
  • “ትኩሳት፣ የደረት እብጠት ወይም የመተንፈስ ችግር ካጋጠማችሁ ዶክተርዎን ይደውሉ።”

Quick Reading Practice

Instruction: “Keep the wound clean and dry. Change the dressing once a day.”

Your English explanation: Keep the cut area clean and not wet. Put new bandage one time each day.

Day 8: Spotting Dangerous English Errors

ERROR CHECKING · WEEK 2
Day 8 Dangerous Mistakes · Bilingual
English Mistakes That Can Harm Patients

Practice reading short nursing sentences and finding English mistakes that change meaning or create risk.

Patient Safety
Charting Errors
Critical Thinking

Examples – What’s Wrong?

  1. “Patient denies pain and reports 8/10 pain.”
  2. “Give 10 mg morphine or 2 mg.”
  3. “O2 sat is low the nurse increased oxygen.”

Issues:

  • #1 – Contradiction: “denies pain” vs “8/10 pain”. Documentation must match.
  • #2 – Confusing dose: “or 2 mg” unclear. Must be exact.
  • #3 – Run-on sentence – should be two sentences or use “so”.

Day 9: Reading Flow Sheets & MAR

DOCUMENTATION · WEEK 2
Day 9 Flow Sheet · Bilingual
English Abbreviations on Nursing Forms

Learn common English abbreviations and short phrases used on flow sheets and MAR (Medication Administration Record).

Abbreviations
MAR
Flow Sheet

Common Flow Sheet Phrases

Abbreviation

  • “NPO” – nothing by mouth
  • “Up ad lib” – walk as desired
  • “BRP only” – bathroom only
  • “I&O” – intake and output

ትርጉም

  • NPO – በአፍ ምንም ነገር አይውስድ
  • Up ad lib – ፈቃዱ መሰረት እንዲመላለስ ይችላል
  • BRP only – ቤት መጸዳጃ ቤት ብቻ
  • I&O – መግቢያና መውጫ ፈሳሽ መለካት

Day 10: Review – Grammar + Reading Checkpoint

CHECKPOINT · WEEK 2
Day 10 Review · Bilingual
Mix of Grammar, Med Orders, and Lab Reading

Today you’ll quickly review Days 1–9 with a mix of grammar and reading items, all nurse-focused and bilingual.

Mixed Review
Self-Check

Self-Check Questions (Write Answers in Your Notebook)

  1. Write one complete nursing sentence about a patient’s pain. Underline the subject and circle the verb.
  2. Write one fragment that starts with “Because…” and then fix it.
  3. Rewrite this run-on correctly: “The blood pressure is low the nurse will call the doctor.”
  4. Translate and explain in English: “Furosemide 40 mg PO BID for edema.”
  5. Read this lab: “Na+ 150 (H), patient confused and very thirsty.” How would you explain this in simple English?