| BP | blood pressure |
| heart rate / HR / pulse | number of heartbeats per minute; pulse can also describe the felt arterial beat |
| respiratory rate / RR | breaths per minute |
| temp | temperature |
| oxygen saturation / O2 sat / sats / SpO2 | estimated percentage of oxygen-saturated hemoglobin |
| GCS | Glasgow Coma Scale, a score describing eye, verbal, and motor responses |
| CBC | complete blood count |
| WBC / white count | white-blood-cell count |
| hemoglobin / Hgb | oxygen-carrying blood protein and the commonly reported concentration |
| hematocrit / Hct | proportion of blood volume occupied by red cells |
| platelets | cell fragments involved in clotting |
| BMP / CMP | basic/comprehensive metabolic panel; groups of chemistry tests |
| electrolytes | charged substances such as sodium and potassium measured in blood |
| creatinine | common blood marker used in evaluating kidney filtration |
| glucose | blood sugar measurement |
| troponin | blood marker used when evaluating heart-muscle injury |
| lactate | blood marker that can rise with impaired tissue oxygen delivery and other stresses |
| cultures | tests intended to identify microorganisms from blood, urine, or other samples |
| urinalysis / UA | laboratory examination of urine |
| X-ray | imaging using ionizing radiation |
| CT / CAT scan | computed tomography, cross-sectional X-ray imaging |
| MRI | magnetic resonance imaging |
| ultrasound / sono | imaging using sound waves |
| ECG / EKG | electrocardiogram, recording of the heart's electrical activity |
| EEG | electroencephalogram, recording of the brain's electrical activity |