positions?

they are:

• fowler's - head of bed up 45 to 60 degrees
  
• semi-fowler's (or low fowler's) - head of bed up at about 30 degrees
  
• high fowler's - head of bed up 90 degrees
  
• lateral (side-lying) - patient on his side with spine in good alignment and parallel to the edge of the mattress with head, neck and upper arm supported in good anatomical position and supported by pillows with a pillow at the back for support
  
• sims' (also called semiprone or forward side-lying) - proned at 45 degrees to left or right side with lowest leg extended and uppermost leg flexed at 45 to 90 degrees
  
• prone - lying on abdomen with head turned to one side
  
• supine (or decubitus) - back-lying position with legs slightly abducted
  
• lithotomy - back-lying position with hips and knees bent and feet in stirrups (or legs bent so that the thighs are flexed backward onto the abdomen, lower legs are resting on the upper thighs and the thighs are abducted) [used for gynecological exams and procedures]
  
• modified lithotomy (also called dorsal recumbent) - patient lying flat on his back with knees flexed
  
• trendelenburg - bed flat with head of bed below the level of the heart
  
• reverse trendelenburg - bed flat with foot of bed below the level of the heart

from saunders comprehensive review for the nclex-rn examination, 3rd edition, by linda anne silvestri, chapter 20, positioning clients, pages 225 - 232, taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary, 18th edition, pages 1527 - 1530 under the listing of "position", and textbook of physical diagnosis: history and examination, 3rd edition, by mark h. swartz, page 381. the taber's and sylvestri books include illustrations. taber's lists a whole lot of other positions that you might want to know for documentation later in your career. dr. swartz's book has photographs of actual patients in a sim's and modified lithotomy positions.