Need Help with Abbreviations, Medical Terminology

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Hi, I'm a Freshman nursing student and I'm working on my abbreviations and definitions for lab. You would think that they would give us things that we could find in our text book or our medical dictionary, but Noooo ;)

Anyway, I've been looking in my texts and even googling the terms and have come up with nada, so I'm hoping some brilliant soul from allnurses can help me out.

Can you tell me what these things mean or at least point me to a website where I can find them myself?

amb

amb cass (there is supposed to be a space after c and a s s but it didn't let me type it out)

as tol

str

Also, I'm having trouble finding functional position. Seems to be a rather simple term, but I found nothing about it in my texts.

Thanks in advance!

1
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Specializes in Oncology/BMT/ MICU/ SICU.

amb = ambulate

amb c *** = ambulate with assistance

as tol = as tolerated

not sure about the str or functional position

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"Functional position" may be referring to putting the body segment in the position of function, ex.- putting a rolled cloth in the hand when immobilizing with a splint.

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has anyone ever seen/heard of using "et" in stead of "and"? I review charts for the law firm I work at and came across one nurse who consistently wrote "et" in place of "and."

ever seen that? I had NEVER heard of it. :uhoh3:

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It may sound stupid but I am not yet a nursing student but am studing to be a CNA and I was wondering if there was a abbrv. for 2 weeks, 3 weeks. Like a shot every 2 weeks or does that need to be written out?

I was also taught to use et instead of and in nursing school. We can no longer use qd,qod,ms,mso4,cc,u, the few that come to mind. Qd and cc are killing us. We spend most of the day writing clarification orders since our pharm no longer accepts any of these abbreviations. Having trouble getting alot of the docs use to not using them, but it's getting better. Still catch myself using them from time to time. Old habits are hard to break. Have seen qweek or q2wks,etc used.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Tele, Vascular, Plastics.
has anyone ever seen/heard of using "et" in stead of "and"? I review charts for the law firm I work at and came across one nurse who consistently wrote "et" in place of "and."

ever seen that? I had NEVER heard of it. :uhoh3:

Hello,

Yes... "et" is commonly used especially with "et all". Refer to the APA manual which stands for American Psychological Association Publication Manual. It is basically a manual for professional writing, usually of the medical nature. We were taught to use the APA manual whenever writing a formal paper or anytime we are using the work of another author so as not to plagerize. Which as you know is a "bad, bad, bad" thing. APA states to use it whenever you have to cite the work that has more than six authors. Instead of using the last names of say for example 20 authors in your reference, you only have to type the first author's last name, followed by et all. I believe also it is sometimes a 'hospital approved' abrev. But I would have to check on that. Each hospital has their own approved list but JHACO sets the standard. Hope this helps you.... angie

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hi! I'm a third year undergrad nursing student, and just started clinicals. I'm having a bit of trouble reading the cardex, especially the abbreviations.

question: what does the following mean?

lcx

s/p

mvr

abd

tee

i tried to look it up in the dictionary, but it either wasn't there or there were so many possible things they could mean that it didn't really help me much.

i just had no idea what this means:

"s/p cath shows rca severe mid lesion, lad 60-65% proximal lesion, lcx mod. proximal disease"

it looks like it could mean suprapubic catheter, but my patient is continent of urine & all that, is it for something else if that's what it means at all?

i also have no idea what this means:

"pt noted with new onset afib.plan for ?tee/echo."

the cardex also said:

"10/14s/p tee: severe MI, mild-mod TI, mod pulm HTN [etc.]"

it's the first part that confused me...it looks like it means that the pt had a severe myocardial infarction on 10.14. however, my patient looked just fine on 10/22 with no pain, no mention of it at all, perfectly coherent etc. so i have a feeling that MI doesn't mean heart attack here. is there anything else this could be?

sorry for so many questions. thanks so much for reading!

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Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.

Just got off shift; I'll help with what I can:

lcx Left circumferential (coronary artery)

s/p "status post" = "recently had"

mvr mitral valve regurgitation

abd abdomen/abdominal

tee trans-esophageal echocardiogram

i just had no idea what this means:

"s/p cath shows rca severe mid lesion, lad 60-65% proximal lesion, lcx mod. proximal disease"

= "recent cath shows right coronary artery severe mid lesion, left anterior descending 60-65% proximal lesion, left circumferential with moderate proximal disease" (They're all coronary arteries, and they all have blockages)

i also have no idea what this means:

"pt noted with new onset afib.plan for ?tee/echo."

"Patient noted with new onset of atrial fibrillation, plan for ?transesophageal echocardiogram/echocardiogram

the cardex also said:

"10/14s/p tee: severe MI, mild-mod TI, mod pulm HTN [etc.]"

"10/14, status post (=just had) a trans-esophageal echo: severe mitral insufficiency, mild to moderate tricuspid insufficiency (both are heart valves), moderate pulmonary hypertension"

so i have a feeling that MI doesn't mean heart attack here. is there anything else this could be? -- in the context of a cardiac echo it's mitral insufficiency.

Hope this helps--Good Luck!

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lcx could mean left circumflex (one of the coronary arteries):rolleyes:

otherwise I concur with the other abbreviations.

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Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.
lcx could mean left circumflex (one of the coronary arteries):rolleyes:

otherwise I concur with the other abbreviations.

Absolutely should be circumflex--I was a'running on empty :rotfl:

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Maybe this well help. There is minimal to nil info RE functional position (if you see the word functional used, rehabilitation books often help), but through experience I will share what I know. Joints, should have slight flex, avoid hyperextension of knees, wrists, neck, etc. Hips should have a pillow between to avoid crossing, no abduction, adduction, Neck and spine should be in as straigt of line as possible. And, as previously mentioned, use hand rolls. This posistion helps to prevent complictions, joint stiffness, circulatory probs, contractures, and skin breakdown, and offers the pt. comfort. When positioning, remember to individualize, such as, is the pt. having SOB? Any skin breakdown? What is the affected side? There are many more factors your instructor can assist you with . After posistioning a pt, take a look, does anything look unatural or uncomfortable. If so, it probably is. This is a drill I recommend to my students, lay in a side lying position, what feels comfortable, then practice on each other, with attention to each joint. Hope this helps.

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Does any one know of a web site that list prefixes and suffixes I need this for assignment on health terminalogy

ex dys- bad, painful, disordered.

also information on breaking medical terms into their part to determine their meaning

thanks

ANNE

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