👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team🕐 Updated 2026-08-23🏷️ Reduction of Risk Potential🔖 Free to read, print, and share
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Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent Pre-op & Post-op Care on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!
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📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet
📌 Pre-Op
Verify signed consent
Confirm NPO status
Baseline VS, remove dentures/jewelry
📌 Post-Op First
Airway & breathing
Circulation — VS, bleeding, LOC
🚩 Report
↑HR + ↓BP = hemorrhage/shock
Sudden dyspnea/chest pain = PE
No void in 6–8 h
📚 Pre-op & Post-op Care — full study notes
The cheat sheet above is your quick recall card. These notes go deeper — what it is, what to do first, what must be reported, and what to teach.
Perioperative nursing prevents complications before and after surgery: verifying consent and NPO status pre-op, and prioritizing airway, circulation, and bleeding post-op.
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Key points
Understand these first
Verify signed consent
Confirm NPO status
Baseline VS, remove dentures/jewelry
Airway & breathing
Circulation — VS, bleeding, LOC
↑HR + ↓BP = hemorrhage/shock
Sudden dyspnea/chest pain = PE
No void in 6–8 h
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Nursing priorities
What to do, in order
Pre-op: consent, NPO, site marking, baseline VS, remove prosthetics.
Post-op: ABCs, then hemorrhage and LOC, then pain/urinary retention.
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Red flags — report now
Escalate immediately
Rising pulse with falling BP post-op signals hemorrhage/shock — act now.
Sudden dyspnea/chest pain post-op may be a PE.
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Patient teaching
What patients must know
Confirm signed consent, NPO status, allergies, and that ordered pre-op meds/prophylaxis are given.
Post-op priorities are airway/breathing, then circulation (VS, bleeding), then pain and voiding.
❓ Pre-op & Post-op Care: NCLEX FAQs
What are the priority nursing interventions for Pre-op & Post-op Care?
Pre-op: consent, NPO, site marking, baseline VS, remove prosthetics. Post-op: ABCs, then hemorrhage and LOC, then pain/urinary retention.
What are the warning signs of Pre-op & Post-op Care a nurse must report?
Rising pulse with falling BP post-op signals hemorrhage/shock — act now. Sudden dyspnea/chest pain post-op may be a PE.
What do I need to know about Pre-op & Post-op Care for the NCLEX?
What patient teaching is important for Pre-op & Post-op Care?
Confirm signed consent, NPO status, allergies, and that ordered pre-op meds/prophylaxis are given. Post-op priorities are airway/breathing, then circulation (VS, bleeding), then pain and voiding.