2025 NCLEX Infection-Control Essentials – A Straightforward Study Guide
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I’ve coached enough students to see one pattern hold true: infection-control questions never go out of style. For the 2025 exam they feel even fresher because the Joint Commission and the CDC both published new guidance that schools are already folding into case studies. Master the updates below and you’ll recognize almost every “Select-All” or matrix item the test can throw at you.
What Changed for 2025
• The Joint Commission rewrote its entire Infection Prevention and Control chapter, effective July 1 2025. The new text highlights routine eye protection any time splash or spray is possible and asks facilities to document exactly when PPE is required.
• The CDC’s core practices now call eye protection “standard” whenever blood or body-fluid spray is likely—think trach suctioning, central-line dressing changes, even some medication reconstitutions.
How the NCLEX Turns Guidelines into Questions
Expect stems that describe two patients side by side: one needs a bed bath, the other requires wound irrigation. The exam will ask who needs goggles, who needs gloves only, and which tasks you can delegate. Case-study variations will drop these chores into an outbreak scenario to see if you pick the right isolation room first.
Quick Rules to Keep Straight
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Standard + Eye Protection for any high-splash task, even if the patient is on no special precautions.
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Contact for draining wounds or uncontrolled secretions.
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Droplet for large-particle respiratory spread—add eye protection if you’ll be within three feet.
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Airborne for rubeola, varicella, TB; N95 or PAPR and negative-pressure room.
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PPE follows the task, not the room—a subtle wording trick the test loves.
Simple Study Routine
Step 1: Make a two-column cheat sheet—left side lists the four isolation categories, right side lists mandatory PPE and room type.
Step 2: Run a timed five-question drill each night; mix in one delegation scenario so you remember RNs assess, LPNs reinforce, UAPs perform standard care.
Step 3: Spend five minutes visualizing a real clinical scene for every rule (irrigating a wound → face shield, gown, gloves). That mental picture sticks longer than any flash card.
Want Extra Practice?
I put together a free infection-control mini-quiz modeled on the 2025 item blueprints. You’ll find it under Free Resources on Your Nursing Space. If you like the style, the full Safety & Infection-Control Guide waits with 150 adaptive questions, rationales that explain why each piece of PPE matters, and printable room-sign templates you can use on the job.
Final Thought
Safety questions aren’t trick questions; they’re priority questions in disguise. Keep the new eye-protection rule in your back pocket, match the isolation level to the pathogen and the procedure, and you’ll answer faster than the timer can stress you. See you on the pass list.