NCLEX-RN — Lab Values & ABGs flashcards
10 of 64 cards free to study here · 11 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys
The typical ranges the NCLEX expects, what a high or low value means at the bedside, the drug levels worth memorizing, specimen collection and cultures, and a step-by-step ABG method with practice sets to classify.
Learn deck · part of NCLEX-RN · written against: NCSBN 2026 NCLEX-RN Test Plan, in effect from 1 April 2026 (Next Generation NCLEX; client-needs categories and percentages unchanged from 2023, fact-checked 2026-10-11). Updated 2026-10-10.
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What is the typical serum sodium range, and what does a value outside it do to the brain?135 to 145 mEq/L. Sodium drives water across the blood-brain barrier: a low level swells brain cells (headache, confusion, seizures) and a high level shrinks them (restlessness, lethargy, seizures), so neuro checks are the priority whichever way it moves.Electrolytes
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What fasting glucose is typical, and what values define hypoglycemia and diabetes?A typical fasting glucose is about 70 to 100 mg/dL. Below 70 is hypoglycemia, and a fasting value of 126 or more on two separate occasions meets the ADA criterion for diabetes.Glucose & Thyroid
Watch out: a random glucose of 200 or more with classic symptoms also diagnoses diabetes, as does an A1c of 6.5% or more confirmed by a repeat test. -
What is the typical BUN range, and what besides kidney failure raises it?About 10 to 20 mg/dL. BUN also climbs with dehydration, a high-protein diet, GI bleeding (digested blood is protein), and catabolic states such as steroid use, and it falls with liver failure or malnutrition, which makes it a less specific kidney marker than creatinine.Renal
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What are typical hemoglobin and hematocrit values, and how do they relate to each other?Hemoglobin about 12 to 16 g/dL in women and 14 to 18 g/dL in men; hematocrit about 37 to 47% and 42 to 52%. The hematocrit is roughly three times the hemoglobin; both fall with anemia or bleeding and rise with dehydration (hemoconcentration).Hematology
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What are the normal PT and INR, and what does an INR of 4.5 mean for a client on warfarin?PT about 11 to 12.5 seconds; INR about 0.8 to 1.1 in someone not anticoagulated. An INR of 4.5 is well above the usual 2 to 3 target: hold the warfarin, assess for bleeding, and notify the provider; vitamin K is usually kept for higher INRs or active bleeding.Coagulation
Mnemonic: WEPT — Warfarin, Extrinsic pathway, PT; heparin goes with the aPTT. -
Which liver enzymes are measured, and what does a rise in each mean?ALT and AST, each typically about 10 to 40 U/L (labs vary). ALT is more specific to the liver; AST also comes from heart and skeletal muscle. Both rise with hepatitis, alcohol, and hepatotoxic drugs such as acetaminophen and statins.Liver
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What is the commonly taught therapeutic digoxin range, and when is the level drawn?About 0.5 to 2 ng/mL (many providers now aim for the lower half in heart failure). Draw it as a trough at least 6 to 8 hours after the last dose, and read it alongside the potassium, because hypokalemia causes toxicity at lower levels.Drug Levels
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What are the normal ABG values the nurse memorizes?pH 7.35 to 7.45, PaCO2 35 to 45 mmHg, HCO3 22 to 26 mEq/L, PaO2 80 to 100 mmHg, and SaO2 of 95% or higher.ABG Basics
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Classify: pH 7.30, PaCO2 55, HCO3 24. What is a likely cause?Uncompensated respiratory acidosis — the pH is low, the PaCO2 is high (opposite direction), and the bicarbonate has not moved. Think hypoventilation: a COPD exacerbation, opioid oversedation, or a post-operative client breathing too shallowly.ABG Practice
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How does the nurse collect a 24-hour urine specimen?The client voids and that urine is discarded; the start time is noted, every void for the next 24 hours is saved, and a final void at the end time is included. Keep it chilled or with the lab's preservative.Specimens & Cultures
Watch out: if a void is thrown away by mistake, the collection starts over.
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Reference ranges are the ones commonly taught for the NCLEX-RN and vary by laboratory; checked against Open RN Nursing Fundamentals and Nursing Skills (Chippewa Valley Technical College, CC BY 4.0) and MedlinePlus Medical Tests (U.S. National Library of Medicine); reference only, no text copied.
- Glycemic cut-offs follow the American Diabetes Association Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026; CKD definitions follow the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease; reference only.
- Sepsis lactate and blood-culture timing checked against the Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 international guidelines; transfusion thresholds against the AABB 2023 international guidelines on red-cell transfusion; specimen collection against Open RN Nursing Skills (CC BY 4.0); visceral proteins against the ASPEN position paper on nutrition markers (2021); reference only, no text copied.
- Drug levels and monitoring checked against FDA prescribing information on DailyMed (digoxin, valproate) and the 2020 ASHP/IDSA/PIDS/SIDP vancomycin monitoring consensus guideline; the jaundice threshold against the Merck Manual Professional Version; reference only, no text copied.
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