OMG Say it correctly!

Nurses Relations

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There is just somethings that really bother me, specifically mispronunciation of words. The specific abbreviation that realllllly grinds my gears is when a nurse or CNA/PCT says " O2 STATS" O2 "stat"uration?

Anyone have anything else that people misspell or mispronounce that gets them going??

:no:

Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

Oh, I thought of another one! "Cardiazem."

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I only got to page 7 .... so if this was said sorry!

Grow-in and not gr-oyn for groin. In not sure of technically what it is but it makes Mr crazy.

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.

Just replying so I can find this thread later... there are SO MANY mispronunciations that bug me, but I feel obligated to read the whole thread so I don't repeat one that was already mentioned!!!

BTW - to the OP - it should be "some things" that bother you, not "somethings." Yes, I am a grammar/spelling Nazi. At least I own it!

(I'm sure I make some silly errors, too, when I post...)

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.
orientated is a perfectly fine word....you just aren't used to hearing it.

I know people say "orientated" a lot in nursing, but I think the proper way to say this is "oriented." The pt is alert and oriented. You get oriented to a new school, a new job, etc. The fact that 1 million people a day say something wrong doesn't make it correct!

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.

"The one I really can't stand, is when some says "lar-i-nix" (I'm hoping that bad pronunciation will come across) for larynx."

OH MY GOODNESS - this one bothers me too! It is a LAIR-inks, not a LAIR-nix. (larynx) Also - pharynx is FAIR-inks... although this one doesn't seem to get butchered as often.

I used to be a music teacher and taught middle school kids about the voice anatomy, including diaphragm and larynx. Even the science teacher at my school said LAIR-nix. Drove me crazy.

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.
My pet peeves are rales and yankauer. I hate it when people say rales with a long A, and say "yanker," like you are going to yank something. Both are incorrect, and that was drilled into us in nursing school in the dark ages.

If rales does not have a long "a" sound, how is it supposed to be pronounced? I was taught to say it so it rhymes with tales (or bails).

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.

This thread is awesome! I think I may have skipped a page while reading, so forgive me if I repeat one....

I am curious why anyone would pronounce centimeter as "sontimeter." Is that, like, a French pronunciation? That's the only way I can get that from the spelling "centimeter."

I have a nursing instructor who cannot pronounce corticosteroids. It sounds like her tongue gets caught while saying it. The best I can describe is that she is saying "corti-corti-steroids." Thankfully, she is not teaching the endocrine unit!

My mother-in-law refers to the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) as "I-Bop's." It used to bug me, but it is so funny that now I just find it cute!!!

I will now go and look up if "orientated" is really a word. Even when referring to positioning, I would say "The front of my car was oriented to the north," not "orientated." I could be wrong....

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Specializes in IMC.

I do not like it when healthcare workers say a patients name wrong! Drives me nuts! Geez, look at your patient list the name is there written out!!

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It isn't wrong, just different.

I know people say "orientated" a lot in nursing, but I think the proper way to say this is "oriented." The pt is alert and oriented. You get oriented to a new school, a new job, etc. The fact that 1 million people a day say something wrong doesn't make it correct!
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MAC-Donalds instead of MIC-Donalds

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
Around these parts, we have folks who like to put an "s" after any type of store name. We go to "Kmart's", "Walmart's" and "Target's". Note: I placed a possessive "s" at the end of these names because I can only assume people who do this are thinking along the line of "Walgreen's"... but who knows :sarcastic:

We also hear "aksed" instead of "asked", "warsh" instead of "wash". Yep, I do that...I cannot tell a lie (just like George "Warshington") :D

We also talk about "you guys"... "You guys comin'?". Sometimes, this is "ya's" or "cha's"... "Ya's comin'?" or "Whatcha's doin'?".

Along these lines, one that has recently really bothered me is adding an s to a plural that already has an s. Example: I stopped by you GUYS'S house and no one was home.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
I get very annoyed when I see RN's or LPN's or MD's when using it as a plural. I see it in articles policies, powerpoints, etc. ARGH!! We should know better. When we write out two hundred nurses we don't do it as "two hundred nurse's attending the meeting" or our physician's are having a meeting. Thanks for letting me vent :)[/quote']

I was recently at a research day, where a highly educated nurse had "RN's" repeatedly written on her poster. I was actually embarrassed for her.

Someone very near and dear to me says "I says" instead of "I said" when relaying a conversation. Her grandchild (my child, so now we know who it is ;) ) picked up on this and asked me why she says this. Then I came to realize many of my elder family members speak this way too. It's not a geographic or cultural thing. I think it sounds so trashy.

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