Those around us are clueless...

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We have our own language. People around us are clueless to what we are saying.

Have you ever had someone look at you with a complete blank face?

Have you ever had this happen to you? Want to share your story?

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Specializes in Palliative Care Population Health Case Management.

My children once said I had to resend a sick note to the office because no one knew what c with a line over it was.....lol

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
debn said:
my children once said I had to resend a sick note to the office because no one knew what c with a line over it was.....LOL

now that's priceless.... I love those moments with the innocence of a child... thank you for sharing...aloha~

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Specializes in Psych.

since my mom is a nurse my sister, father and I ( along with other realitives) grew up/ heard the medical jargon all the time. My husband is starting to get it and I cant wait to start leaving notes for my kids for list of chores with medical short hand.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

as a matter of fact me and my friends communicate via cell utilizing the medical lingo, is the only way to type faster with less to write and still get our point across :cool:

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LOL for the MAP.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

ooops.... wait for it.

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Specializes in med/surg.

I try really hard to not confuse patients and families with medical jargon, and I tirelessly remind techs and other colleagues of the same thing-just simple things like writing on a patient's whiteboard

"(up arrow) c ast" or "NPO p MN" or "ADA diet"

(amazing how many diabetics don't know what ADA stands for)

It's kind of nice to speak another language sometime

"the CVA in 12 is code brown"

Not many people would realize that that means "The ancient paralyzed lady in room 12 has just pooped the bed"

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I think it is drilled into your head to rattle off everything. I particularly hate when an oncoming nurse gets bent out of shape when you don't know what antibiotic they are one for a UTI when it wasn't given on your shift and the oncoming nurse who arrived 45 minutes before shift change to prep already knows what drugs the patient is on from each shift. At the end of a NOC shift I just want to give report and go to bed it is not time to play quiz show and try to act superior to the NOC nurse.

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It is becoming increasingly common for me to find myself wincing when my friends and family discuss their medical issues, like the other day when a close friend was chatting with a coworker in front of me and was telling her all about how her doctor had told her to cut out chocolate because the sugar was causing her hypotension which was leading to high blood pressure and nasal allergies. I asked what her hypotension was and she said 170/100. Truly most people have little idea how the body works or how unlikely a licensed doctor (or any health professional) would be to offer such a diagnosis. You can write it down for them and they still make up something that sounds vaguely medical and important to tell their friends.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

If I leave my husband a quick note about something or recopy a recipe adding more explicit directions and use a c with a line over it,

he'll track me down to ask what "that weird thing that looks like a "c" but has that has the squiggle over it" is. Sometimes I remind him

that he has probably asked me that at least one million times -- or so. :speechless:

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