Droplet

On the NCLEX, the classic item gives a new diagnosis and asks for the PPE the nurse dons before entering or how to set up the room. The tell is the organism: meningococcal meningitis, influenza, pertussis, mumps, and rubella all sit in droplet, so the answer is a regular surgical mask — no respirator and no negative-pressure room, and a private room is preferred but a closed door is not mandatory. Group A strep (serious invasive) is droplet too, while adenovirus is actually droplet plus contact. A frequent twist tests timing: for suspected meningococcal meningitis, droplet precautions go up immediately and can be discontinued 24 hours after effective antibiotics begin.

The trap is reflexively grabbing an N95 — reserve that for airborne pathogens (TB, measles, varicella, disseminated zoster). Students also confuse droplet’s spacing-and-mask logic with airborne’s room-engineering controls; droplets fall, so distance suffices. A memory hook: “My Chicken Hez TB” (Measles, Chickenpox/varicella, disseminated herpes-zoster, TB) is airborne, and most everything else spread by coughing or sneezing defaults to droplet.