Basic nursing refers to the foundational knowledge and skills required for nurses to provide care to individuals, families, groups, and communities in various healthcare settings. Basic nursing education is a formally recognized program of study that provides a broad and sound foundation in the behavioral, life, and nursing sciences. Basic nursing care aims to meet the patients unique needs with regard to hygiene, nutrition, elimination, and medication administration.

Some key responsibilities of basic nursing include performing physical exams and health histories before making critical decisions, providing health promotion, counseling, and education, checking vital signs and looking for signs that health is deteriorating or improving, performing basic nursing functions such as changing bandages and wound dressings, ensuring patients are comfortable, well-fed, and hydrated, and administering medications in some settings.

Basic nursing education and training can be obtained through many avenues, including vocational/technical education programs, hospital-based schools of nursing, community or junior colleges offering associate degrees, or four-year Bachelor of Science programs at colleges or universities. All nurses complete a rigorous program of extensive education and study and work directly with patients, families, and communities using the core values of the nursing process.

The purpose of preparing lecture notes on basic clinical nursing skills is to equip nurses with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive care and enhance clinical competence. The lecture note series is designed to have two parts: part-I is composed of the most basic clinical skills, whereas part two will cover more advanced clinical skills as well as fundamental concepts related to the skills.