abbreviations.......

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would anyone want to list some medical abbreviations I may need to learn? I like to get a good head start:D thanks,Michelle ps. I have my book,been going over it,but it really doesnt list many abbreviations.

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Most abbreviations are no longer acceptable to be used. One can mean a completely different thing to those working on another unit.

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I was speaking of cna basic abbrev.'s

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In my CNA class we learned 130 abbreviations and we had 40 on our class final. Then we got to clinicals at the hospital and there were signs posted at every single nurses' "mini-station" that said, "SAVE A LIFE...DON'T ABBREVIATE". I asked about it and they said, "Yeah, you should take one of these signs to your instructor so that they don't waste time teaching you those anymore." The only abbreviation that is still allowed at the hospital is NPO (nothing by mouth).

The funny thing is the nursing/health college that I took my class at is connected to the hospital that I did clinicals at, so you'd think they'd follow what the hospital does.

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We still use a bunch of abbreviations at our facility but the main ones we use are NPO, PRN, and q2h (and the like). We always use PRN in upper case because prn in lower case can sometimes be mistaken for pm.

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Specializes in Med-surg.

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c: with

Npo: nothing by mouth

PRN: as needed

Q: every

BID: twice a day

TID: three times a day

AC: before meals (remember about to chow)

PC: after meals (remember post chow)

BRP: bathroom privledges

BSC: bedside commode

Ad lib: at discretion

noc: night

ROM: range of motion

hopefully you will be employed in a place were all documentation is on the computer and you won't have to worry about it at all. Most of these you will only remember through repitition on the job.

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thanks a lot!:D

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

The CNA textbook should have plenty of abbreviations that you should know. While it is true that many are no longer used, you have to learn them during the course. The ones mentioned are the most common ones that I learned.

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adding to the above ...

adl: activities of daily living

bm: bowel movement

hob: head of bed

hs/hs: hour of sleep; bedtime

i&o: intake and output

oob: out of bed

ot: occupational therapy

pt/pt: patient

pt: physical therapy

qd/qd: every day

q2hr/q2hr: every two hours

tpr: temperature, pulse, respiration

vs: vital signs

w/c: wheel chair

temperature: 98.6 po/po = by mouth; 98.6 r = rectal; 98.6 ax = axillary

dietary:

nas: no added salt

ncs: no concentrated sweets

:typing

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thanks for all those pbajs! and thanks to everyone else,I also found a site online that named 161 common abbreviations,so I got some index cards and made 60 flashcards,studied them ,had the hubby call them out to me and I now know 60 new abbreviations.gonna make 60 more today....course I know I probably don't need to know that many,but what is it gonna hurt? I enjoy learning them.:typing:p

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

Well, let's see...so many of these are now just 2nd nature

AC before meals

P after

B=twice

T=Three times

Q=four times

ROM=range of motion

CPM=continous passive motion machine

OOB= out of breath

geez, I'm lost when actually trying to describe them.....

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hi,thanks! Is oob-out of bed and out of breath? or just a typo? I know sob is short of breath. thanks again!

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