Many nurses want to improve their careers in the United Arab Emirates, and taking the MOH exam is one of the first steps toward achieving that goal. The MOH exam syllabus is very extensive and has lots of different subject areas that nurses could study for, but many nurses do not have clear direction on what to study and therefore end up spending time trying to prepare for everything instead of concentrating on the areas that will be tested the most heavily. This is especially important now that the MOH is implementing stricter evaluation lines and has added a larger number of application-based questions starting in 2025.
If nurses do not study those high-weighted areas, they may end up with lower scores, taking multiple attempts to pass the exam, waiting longer to receive their licenses, and losing job opportunities as a result. Therefore, a roadmap detailing the most-heavily tested topics on the MOH exam is essential for all nurses who are now preparing for this exam.
Top MOH nursing topics: Breakdown
1. Fundamentals of Nursing
This area outlines how all other nursing information is structured. So don't overlook these topics.
Nursing Process (ADPIE): You will need to be able to utilize all 5 steps. Each test question will be presented with assessment data; the question will require you to identify the best nursing diagnosis or goal.
Ethics/Legal/Axiology: You should review what you have learned about beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. You may encounter questions about informed consent, confidentiality of patient information (HIPAA) and advanced directives.
Communication: You should have an understanding of therapeutic and non-therapeutic types of communication. The majority of the questions will ask for the "most therapeutic" response.
Comfort and Basic Nursing Care: Includes care of wounds (stages of pressure ulcers), positioning/mobility, nutritional needs, and fluid/electrolyte balance (signs of low/high potassium, sodium).
2. Medical-Surgical Nursing
This is a vital section of this Examination and will require a wide-ranging knowledge base in regard to the Pathophysiology and Assessment Findings as well as the Patient Interventions (Nursing) related to the Adult Population's common medical conditions.
Cardiovascular: Treatment of MI, HF, HTN, PVD. Able to interpret basic ECGs (A-Fib, V-Tach, etc.)
Respiratory: Care of Patients with COPD, Asthma, Pneumonia, and TB, ABG Acidosis vs. Alkalosis
Endocrine: The Endocrine (C) area will be a high-yield area. Manage both Diabetics (1 & 2), with an understanding of the use of Insulin Therapy and Sick-Day rules and Recognition and Treatment of DKA and HHS.
Neurological: Nursing Care for the CVA Patient and for those with Seizures, ICP. An understanding of the GCS is critical.
Perioperative: Pre-Operative Assessment by the Nurse, Immediate Post-Operative Airway/Vital (signs) Management and Prevention of Complications such as DVT and Wound Infections.
3. Pharmacy and Drug Dispensing
This section is an area where you will NOT have any chance for error.
- Drug Safety is governed by following "10 Rights" of Dispensing.
- Practice your skills at dose calculation for oral medication, intravenous drip rate (gtts/min), IV pump rate (mL/hr) for IV fluids.
- You must know about major Drug Classes when treating patients, their uses, effect, and related nursing considerations with respect to each Drug Class. You should have an understanding of the different types of Anticoagulants (Warfarin and Heparin) and Antihypertensives (Beta-blockers and ACE Inhibitors), Antibiotics, and Diuretic medications.
4. Maternal and child health
- Antenatal Care: The understanding of pregnancy trimesters, warning signs; prenatal assessments and the normal discomforts of pregnancy.
- Pre-natal tests (Screening), fetal movement assessment (Fetal Movement Assessment), Rh factor, RhoGAM.
- Labor and delivery: The four-stage labor process (Four Stage Labor), Decelerations (types) and the interpretation of Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) patterns. The immediate priority during the labor process, during each of the four stages of labor, Pain management options and interventions.
- Post-partum care: Signs of post-partum hemorrhage, Signs of infection; involution, Fundal Assessment.
- Techniques of breastfeeding: these are the benefits of breast feeding, the complications of breastfeeding are: engorgement and mastitis.
- Newborn assessment: APGAR scoring, Reflexes (Moro, rooting, sucking) and Thermoregulation.
5. Critical care and emergency nursing
Life-threatening critical conditions of patients should be recognized and treated based on how fast the condition can be treated clinically, and by making the appropriate clinical decision immediately upon recognition.
- The recognition of shock, its early stages, the importance of early recognition of shock, and how to identify the types of shock and symptoms.
- How to interpret arterial blood gases and identify acidosis and alkidosis respiratory and metabolically so that you can treat the clinical condition of the patient.
- Ventilator-alarms, weaning requirements and responsibilities of nurses to identify and treat desaturation of patients quickly.
- The rules for the triage process. Evaluating a patient by prioritizing their emergency, and putting into use the guidelines, such as start guidelines, basic triage, and eds.
6. Community Health Nursing
This topic focuses on prevention, health promotion, and population-level care. Many questions are direct and theory-based.
Epidemiology: Know incidence, prevalence, modes of disease transmission, and levels of prevention (primary, secondary, tertiary).
Immunization: Review vaccination schedules, cold-chain maintenance, and common vaccine-preventable diseases.
Communicable Diseases: Understand control measures for outbreaks (TB, measles, dengue), screening guidelines, and quarantine vs. isolation.
Environmental Health: Study sanitation, safe water standards, waste management, and occupational health hazards.
7. Ethics & Professional Practice
A scoring area with straightforward, principle-based questions that test your understanding of safe and legal nursing practice.
Patient Rights: Focus on autonomy, informed consent, refusal of treatment, and privacy standards.
Documentation: Know correct charting practices, incident reports, and legal implications of incomplete documentation.
Scope of Practice: Understand delegation principles what tasks a nurse can assign to an assistant vs. what must be done by a licensed nurse.
Professional Conduct: Review accountability, confidentiality, and culturally sensitive care expected in UAE healthcare settings.
Summary
MOH requires concentrated training in the highest-weighted areas. The highest-weighted areas for scoring are Fundamentals, Med-Surg, Pharmacology and MCH. Preparing smart will yield higher scores than merely studying in a haphazard manner. Tijus Academy will develop structured, up-to-date and relevant material for the most effective path to success in the MOH exam.
If you want to pursue a Nursing Career in the UAE it is very important to take action now.
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