Cardiovascular assessment integrates history, inspection, palpation, auscultation, pulses, cap refill, JVD, lung sounds, edema, telemetry, and hemodynamic trends. NCLEX-RN rewards baseline comparison and perfusion synthesis over isolated vital signs. Connect Cardiovascular to bedside cues you will reassess first: vitals trends, work of breathing, perfusion, mentation, and pain or ischemic equivalents when relevant. NCLEX items often reward recognizing when subtle instability outweighs reassurance, then selecting nursing actions that protect airway, circulation, and neurologic status before routine tasks.