362 Essential Skills for Health Careers Success
punctuality being on time for work, appoint-
ments, and any other commitments
punctuation the practice or system of using
certain conventional marks or characters such as
commas, question marks, and periods in writing
Q
quality assurance term for the policies that
ensure healthcare facilities monitor and evalu-
ate services based on predetermined criteria;
corrective action must be taken if the facility’s
services do not meet the established criteria
R
ratio comparison of one quantity with another,
similar quantity
reasonable care legal protection for the health-
care worker if proven that the worker acted
reasonably as compared to other members of
the profession in a same or similar situation
respiration the act of supplying oxygen to the
cells and removing carbon dioxide; also called
breathing
résumé a document that summarizes your
education, work experiences, and other quali-
fi cations for employment; can be printed or
submitted electronically
retention the ability to preserve information in
the mind
rickettsiae parasites that normally choose fl eas,
lice, ticks, or mites as their host organisms; can
cause severe infections
S
sanitization term for the use of antimicrobial
agents on objects, surfaces, or living tissue to
reduce the number of disease-causing
microorganisms
science system of acquiring knowledge through
observation and experimentation to describe
the natural world
scientifi c method a method designed to logi-
cally formulate, test, and evaluate a problem or
hypothesis
sexual harassment unwanted sexual advances
and other forms of offensive sexual behavior;
both men and women can be sexually harassed
sexually transmitted infection (STI) an infec-
tion transferred from one person to another
through sexual contact
sharps needles or any other object that could
puncture or cut the skin
simple sentence sentence that contains a sub-
ject and a verb, and which expresses a com-
plete thought; independent clause
soft skills personal characteristics that enable a
person to have pleasant, effective interactions
with others
software a collection of programs that allow a
user to interact with the computer
spreadsheet a document containing rows and
columns of data; useful for organizing numeric
values and executing computer calculations
SQ3R reading system study strategy used to
increase comprehension while reading; stands
for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review
standard of care reasonable and prudent care
that a practitioner of similar qualifi cations
would have performed in the same or similar
situation
statute of limitations the amount of time dur-
ing which any legal action may be taken; after
such time a lawsuit may not be fi led
stem cells cells in the body that evolve into
specifi c cells in a particular organ system
sterilization the act of killing all microorgan-
isms and their spores on a surface; methods
of sterilization in a healthcare facility may
include hot pressurized steam, dry heat, gas,
ionized radiation, and specialized chemicals
stress the feeling of being overwhelmed by
worry and pressures in your life