Is English required to be an RN?

[Jailhouse RN]

I have noticed from day one in here that many RNs use some of the poorest English and grammar I have ever seen. I am sure that we were required to take English as a requirement to graduate from nursing school. Did we leave it in the classroom, or is it that it was never really learned? I see from the charts I read at work that the case is the same in actual practice. I see so much chatroomease that it makes me sick to read some of the postings in here. Are we professionals that want to sound the part or simply chatroom fools? I for one at least try to sound and act professional. As RNs we have a reputation to be knowledgable and professional. Where are you?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I knew this would happen. Let me clarify my position a bit. Think of it this way - right or wrong, it's more difficult for a person to be taken seriously if they don't look the part and sound the part. I know you take care to make a good first impression in person by coming to work ready for action, dressed appropriately, and with all the right tools. Why is language any different? Right or wrong two people who are identical in every respect will be received differently based on how they speak.

So, there it is. Like it or not that's the way the world works. And, unfortunately, sometimes people who DON'T know what they're talking about are believed over those who do just by the way the "come across" to everyone else.

And I guess there are two different areas of concern. Verbal: Would you say "There's (THERE IS) twenty apples" or "There're (there ARE) twenty apples?"

Written: The problem of their, there, they're.

And, Tweety, I've read many many of your posts and can't think of anyone I'd rather have for a nurse. Didn't mean to slam you.

OK, that's it from me!

Ned, please don't worry about what you wrote. I'm open-minded enough to change my position and agree with you. My first position was, "this is just a bulletin board, not an English paper", now I tend to agree that if I'm presenting myself as an educated professional, giving profressional advice, then it's easy to not take me seriously if the spelling and grammar are all wrong. Swallowing my pride, I'm actually agreeing with the original poster now after originally disagreeing (although the op wasn't really talking about the bb, but charting).

But to the anal rententive people that cringe at a mispelling or typo, I still say relax, it's only a bb. I'm a superfast inaccurate typist and rarely proofread, need to do better. :)

And yes, that was a quote of a pm to me. But I have thick skin and am o.k. with it. :)

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

... I know that spelling and grammer do count...

Hahahahahahahahahahaha! :)

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

... Silly me, I have the nerve to think I can get a BSN. :imbar

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! :)

Really enjoying this thread.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

"I see so much chatroomease that it makes me sick to read some of the postings in here. " Um yeah you did say something about the postings....hmmm I hate to be rude but did you forget?

Yes. Of course, this is correct. (Please see the original post.)

I noticed two specific references by Jailhouse to postings here.

Clear to me she / he wasn't only intending to slam the poor use of English in medical charting.

Just trying to be accurate in what's been, and is being, discussed here.

[hypnotic_nurse]

I was an editor at one point in my life, so I see every little thing. However, I never correct ANYONE (well, my kids excepted) unless I'm asked to do so. I find I am very popular when papers or grants are due, though. :)

Poor grammar and spelling in charts really makes us nurses look incompetent, especially when MDs who speak English as a second language get it right more often than some of us do.

Chat rooms and BBs are quite another thing -- those are MEANT to be informal -- the one thing that bothers me here on the board is the poster who always misspells "pregnant".

[husker-nurse, LPN, LVN]

and now I really AM ROFLMBO!!!! ( :rotfl: :rotfl: Rolling On Floor, Laughing My Behind Off)

[leslie :-D]

-- the one thing that bothers me here on the board is the poster who always misspells "pregnant".

i had a masters-level teacher write me a note regarding my daughter, and wrote to me and i quote, "mrs. earle now i would like to ax you a question."

hey, AX me anything you want.

[Ned the Red]

At an open house at my daughter's school one night, one of the teachers kept asking "Is there any more questions?"

At least she wasn't an English teacher!

[pickledpepperRN]

I was taught to use abbreviations and incomplete sentences in nurses notes to save soace.

Thus:

"A/O X4, PERLA, speech clear, no SOB, rales@bases, moves all extremities, handgrasp equal, skin warm & dry, IV D51/2 NS 20meq KCl @ 75cc/hr Lt hand no redness or swelling. [You get the picture]

Writing without a subject and verb is not practice for good writing.

BUT, I aint a gonna be done havin' no double negatives. Hear?

[hypnotic_nurse]

I was taught to use abbreviations and incomplete sentences in nurses notes to save soace.

Thus:

"A/O X4, PERLA, speech clear, no SOB, rales@bases, moves all extremities, handgrasp equal, skin warm & dry, IV D51/2 NS 20meq KCl @ 75cc/hr Lt hand no redness or swelling. [You get the picture]

Writing without a subject and verb is not practice for good writing.

BUT, I aint a gonna be done havin' no double negatives. Hear?

Come write notes at my institution whenever you want!!!!

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

i had a masters-level teacher write me a note regarding my daughter, and wrote to me and i quote, "mrs. earle now i would like to ax you a question."

hey, AX me anything you want.

LMAO! I've heard people pronounce "ask" as ax, but I've never seen anyone write it that way. Too funny!

[CCU NRS]

ouyay aymay ebay ishingway atthay ouyay evernay artedsay isthay ubjectsay eforebay tiay siay llaay veroay

nope but you must be fluent in pig latin