Dumbest question ever...

chrisrn24 · May 25, 2014

Nocturnal.

amoLucia · May 25, 2014

To OP - this was NOT a dumb question. I asked the VERY SAME question some time ago when I joined AN. I hadn't even a clue that it meant the night shift! :roflmao:

abbnurse · May 25, 2014

Hello medsurgrn95,

Not a dumb question at all! When I joined AN, it took me a while to figure out what "OP" meant ! :)

calivianya, BSN, RN · May 25, 2014

Thanks for asking;I never knew that either. Totally makes sense now.

I am kind of curious about where the term came from. Has anyone actually heard "noc" uttered in real life, and where are you from if you have? Is it a regional thing?

chrisrn24 · May 25, 2014

Thanks for asking;I never knew that either. Totally makes sense now.
I am kind of curious about where the term came from. Has anyone actually heard "noc" uttered in real life, and where are you from if you have? Is it a regional thing?

I say it at work and I chart it lol

Cuddleswithpuddles · May 25, 2014

It is from "nocturnal" which is English and Latin for "night." Latin is where most medical abbreviations come from. Some examples:

PRN = pro re nata = as needed

NPO = nil per os = nothing by mouth

qAM = quaque ante meridien = Every morning or more literally "every before noon"

OS = oculus sinister = left eye

OD = oculus dexter = right eye

OU = oculus uterque = both eyes

(The last three have been banned due to confusion, but it's still nerdycool.)

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · May 25, 2014

It is from "nocturnal" which is English and Latin for "night." Latin is where most medical abbreviations come from. Some examples:
PRN = pro re nata = as needed
NPO = nil per os = nothing by mouth
qAM = quaque ante meridien = Every morning or more literally "every before noon"
OS = oculus sinister = left eye
OD = oculus dexter = right eye
OU = oculus uterque = both eyes
(The last three have been banned due to confusion, but it's still nerdycool.)

As someone who took three years of Latin in high school- I thank you for enlightening the masses.

And OP- if you don't know something, it's NOT a dumb question. Ask away!

MunoRN, RN · May 25, 2014

It's confusing because we present it as though it's an acronym, as "NOC", even though it's an abbreviation and not an acronym, it would make more sense if we represented it as "noc."

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 25, 2014

It's confusing because we present it as though it's an acronym, as "NOC", even though it's an abbreviation and not an acronym, it would make more sense if we represented it as "noc."

I thought we DID represent it as "noc."

amoLucia · May 25, 2014

I thought we DID represent it as "noc."

Was it meant as 'little' noc as opposed to 'big' NOC?

I kind of liked the OS term- the "evil" sinister left eye.

RNfaster · May 25, 2014

Here's some more Latin....

nares (n.) "nostrils," 1690s, from Latin nares, plural of naris "nostril," from PIE root *nas- (see nose (n.)).