Key Concepts
Introduction
Social determinants of health are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes, including income, education, housing, food security, social support networks, employment, and access to healthcare services. These determinants create systemic health inequities that disproportionately affect marginalized populations including Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, refugees, immigrants, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, and people with disabilities. Health equity frameworks require nurses to move beyond individual patient care to recognize and address structural barriers that produce unequal health outcomes. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action include specific directives for healthcare, and Jordan's Principle ensures Indigenous children receive needed services without jurisdictional delays. On the exam, writers often pair stable-sounding options with unstable data—notice the mismatch before you commit. If the stem names a license or role, reread that line; scope errors are classic trap answers even when the clinical topic is familiar. Run a 60-second scan: breathing work and oxygenation, perfusion and end organs, neuro baseline, likely infection sources, and devices that can fail quietly. When two answers feel partly right, pick the one that reduces imminent harm and matches orders for the role...