Common nicknames for hospital items.

Nurses Humor

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Just wanted to see if the nicknames we call certain items are the same names you guys call them lol. I work in the midwestern region.

Examples include:

1.) "Bubblier" for humidifier

2.) "Ice pack" for the polar pack and the original ice pack

3.) "Patches" for tele electrodes

4.) "Stickers" for labels

5.) "Booties" for spenco boots

6.) "Christmas tree" for O2 connector

That is all I can think of at the moment. Feel free to add to the list. I am looking forward to seeing new nicknames I haven't heard before :)

Specializes in Med/Surg, Float Pool, MICU, CTICU.

At my hospital they call cnas pcts, unless you are a nurse tech.q

Specializes in Med/Surg, Float Pool, MICU, CTICU.

You just reminded me about something with GoLytely. I do wish the company would change the name to reflect the product more accurately. GoLytely sounds very light and dainty. As we all know, there is nothing light or dainty about it. It also needs to come flavored with ANYTHING. Our nurses mix it with the blue powerade and add ice to make it a little eaiser for the patients to drink.

Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

I always call GoLytelY-- GO LOT LY!!! The bowl containers for large stool specimens-cool whip bowls.

Vital sign machines- ROSIE or R2D2

MOM and prune juice- brown cow

CODE Brown- massive BM

Specializes in geri,acute,subacute,correctional,pysch,.

For #6 I have heard it called a tree thing, green O2 thing and a nipple nut all in the same facility. Nipple nut still makes me giggle!

Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.
It's a bit tangential to the topic, but I remember back 30 years ago when I was a nurses' aide, the nursing home I worked in had "nourishments" before the residents went to bed. It has always been a pet peeve of mine when people use pretentious language when simpler words would do--it's a SNACK, not "nourishment" also, out of curiosity, how many different terms for "nurse's aide" are in use around the country? One of my faces is "Patient Care Technician"' which sounds like they should be carrying around a toolbox with screwdrivers and foley cath bags.

Ours are officially Personal Suport Workers.

Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

Ours are officially Personal Suport Workers.----- LOL

Ok, i confess, bad week, tired and this truly hit me funny... kinda like jock straps? I apologize.........

Blue underpad--Chux

Vitals signs machine--Nurse on a stick

Blue underpad--Chux
Kylie
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

This is fun! Here in the West, we have Christmas trees, gowns, frequent flyers, and transfers to the ECF (Eternal Care Facility) after they've CTD'd (Circled The Drain). Patients with cannulas have their O's on. When they're 'bound up', we give 'em a Hot Slider (warm prune juice mixed with MOM or Lactulose and 2 pats of butter). GoLytely is "the atomic laxative". Heel protectors are "booties", bibs are "clothing protectors", adult diapers are "briefs", and we "turn and baste" bedbound, incontinent nursing-home residents. The thing we use to catch urine in the toilet is a "hat", but if we have to catheterize someone who can't pee, we "drop a Foley".

There's more but I can't think of them right now. :)

Or leg squeezers lol

Specializes in Pediatrics and Med Surf Float.

the hospital for clinicals used chucks, scuds (SCD-sequential compression device), dropped NG tubes.

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