Regional differences in OB terminology ....

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Good morning everyone,

What are some of the regional differences in terminology you all have encountered? For example, I lived and worked in Chicago and the California Bay Area. When a lady is 10 cm she is "complete." Now I'm in New England and they say she's "fully." After 16 years of saying "complete" it's taking some time to get used to this and I'm not sure if I want to change my own usage of words, just because I guess I'm a stubborn old lady and want to hang onto something that I'm used to :) ;)

Does anybody else have other regional differences in terminology they'd like to share? Other OB terms? Is "fully" used anyplace else other than CT?

Specializes in Postpartum, Lactation.
In CA, an "unwed" couple has to watch a paternity video and fill out papers . . . or the FOB cannot have his name on the birth certificate. Only a few disgruntled FOB's have refused . . .we usually manage to get family to help them see the light and they end up watching the video and signing the papers.

steph

That is most certainly not true. 1) Our unwed FOB's do not have to watch a video. 2) My dh did not have to watch a video when our dd was born (we were not married at the time). They are only required to sign the declaration of paternity if present and the MOB can name anyone, including Donald Duck, as the FOB and his name will appear on the birth certificate.

Anon Nurse, I would not be able to work in an environment like that :( We have a birth certificate clerk. If the fOB is involved and in the room with MOB, I don't think their marital status matters at all. And really for that matter, I have had at least 4 women who have had AI and FOB is a sperm donor. No need to notify the press in that situation, either. Not to mention, countless gay and lesbian couples.

Oh, and we do say VBAC if the TOLAC is successful. It jsut doesn't happen very much in our facility ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
...

Anon Nurse, I would not be able to work in an environment like that :( We have a birth certificate clerk. If the fOB is involved and in the room with MOB, I don't think their marital status matters at all. And really for that matter, I have had at least 4 women who have had AI and FOB is a sperm donor. No need to notify the press in that situation, either. Not to mention, countless gay and lesbian couples....

Needless to say I'm not going to stay in this facility for long. But I need the job right now for the next few weeks. I doubt lesbian couples come to this hospital ... they probably go to YNHH or UConn. CT is much more conservative than I thought -- isn't it technically a blue state? I really miss CA!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Postpartum, Lactation.

I'm sorry :( Hang in there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
My current job requires the RNs ask all pts if they are married or not. If not, we give them paternity papers to fill out. They tell me the reason is there's no separate person who fills out birth certificates; the RNs initiate getting the pts to fill out paternity forms and the clerks are notaries who notarize the papers. Does anybody else have to do this? This is a very conservative catholic hospital, too; I've never done anything like this and feel uncomfortable asking my pts if they are married. The staff talk about the pts in a judgemental manner, too.

We ask everyone on admission if they are married, single, divorced, seperated. It helps understand the family dynamic, IMO, and has little to do with paternity when we ask it. I've had married pts with boyfriends, I've had married pts with a FOB other than husband, but husband is present for delivery. I've had single pts with two boyfriends. It helps to know who everybody is in a room, kwim?

As far as paternity, unmarried couples do have to fill out a paternity affidavit, but the notary has them sign that after the BC is filled out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Ultrasound (west coast) vs. Sonogram (south).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

where was that?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Washington state was Ultrasound and Arizona was sonogram. the first couple times people used that term I musta looked like I was clueless!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I practice nursing in NC. The traveling CT RN says fully, the rest of us say complete. LTC: long, thick, and closed. OTD: out the door...when receiving a D/C order from the physician...we (and often times the doc) say...she is OTD.

FLK: funny looking kid. I heard a long time nurse give report to the doc over the phone...refering to a cervix that was LTC...she said...the cervix is "Way up at the Mall"...I was a brand new nurse and almost fell out of my seat!

Rhonda

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm in NC and we use most of those terms, although I've never heard OTD. Different docs abbreviate stuff way differently as I'm sure y'all all have seen! FF@ u/2 is easy enough but it took me a minute to get what they meant by SLR (scant lochia rubra).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well that whole effacement thing is still a little mysterious to me so I say thank goodness you can just guess at the percentage. I have been told it isnt a HUGE deal anyway as the baby won't fall out til the are COMPLETE. (that is what we say in the north Indiana/Michigan area) And even then there aren't too many instances of falling out. I have also been told that if you can't find the cervix that means one of 2 things....birth is not imminent or they are complete. my mentors are SO very helpful.(and they like to mess with the new kid on the block)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This has turned into a great thread!

In the midwest we used "DTV" for "due to void" in regards to postpartum pts. I went to CA and wrote "DTV" on the Frog (the green PP report sheet we'd fill out to send with pts to PP in lieu of a called phone report, which we rarely did), and this caused all sorts of phone calls back and forth from the L&D charge nurse to PP, like what the heck did I mean? They finally asked me ... due to void, silly. They thought I was crazy. So I stopped using that acronyn ...

I think I've heard both sonogram and ultrasound, can't think of where/which was used.

How many of you say centimeters as "sona-meters"? or "centimeters"? Is this even a regional thing?

When I hear "fully" I think, "full - of", or fluffy ... yeah, she's "full of" a baby! But not for long.

How many of you call obese pts "fluffy"? We did this in CA, I think it's much nicer than saying "obese", and was said in a more positive tone. Was used esp. in regards to difficulty getting and keeping a EFM tracing ... "well, she's a bit fluffy, maybe we could put in an FSE when she's ruptured?"

My favorite nurse of all times, a totally awesome woman in CA, calls pregnant pts "the round people." I love that!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This thread is proving invaluable...I'm soon off to AZ from UK where I've been a midwife for 13yrs. We use

fully=fully dilated

not effaced/partially effaced/ fully effaced

FLK is popular here too

SCBU (skabu)=special care baby unit...still used though most are signed as NICU

the cervix might be up with the gods or in the heavens

always ultrasound not sonogram

I'm sure I'll think of a bunch more as I click post but that's the norm.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment