Where did you learn all of the acronyms??

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It's like a whole nother language sometimes reading posts on here.:eek: Can I really expect to learn all of them in nursing school? Or do people generally know a lot of them before that point??

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Specializes in General med/surg for now ... stay tuned!.

I only knew literally a handful before I became a student, and they were the dead obvious ones. The balance came through being a student and then more on the job. I can only speak for where I work, but we have a list of "approved" acronyms to prevent people from making up any old bunch of letters causing confusion all around. Youll be surprised by how quickly you will catch on, and believe me, learning acronyms is the easy part! Cheers! :specs:

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Specializes in Student LPN.

Just wait when you start using your nursing abbreviations etc. in your every day writing. I noticed I've been doing that, even caught myself on a few Christmas cards:D

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Just wait when you start using your nursing abbreviations etc. in your every day writing. I noticed I've been doing that, even caught myself on a few Christmas cards:D

Yep..I sent out Christmas cards with "We wish you a Merry Christmas c (line over it) lots of joy" and countless thank you cards with similiar mistakes. I don't even realize I do it until someone asks what they mean. I also sign Jessie, RN instead of my full name so often my bank had me come in and resign their signature they keep on file to compare to checks.

As for the OP, you spend a lot of your first few months says "what does that mean?" and you learn by asking. Sooner or later you realize the new nurses are asking you.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

How about giving us a list of a few and we'll try to explain them. It is a "foreign" language when you add all the symbols the medical students and residents use in their notes too.

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LOL isn't just for laughing out loud but also for " little old lady"

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I re-learned the acronyms "RACE" and "RICE" recently by studying NCLEX type questions, but I can't remember what they stand for. I'll need to start studying again soon instead of messing about during the holidays.

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Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care (CEN, CCRN).

The particular acronym soup you deal with daily will depend to some extent on your unit. For example, on my OB rotation we lived and died by BUBBLE-HE and APGAR, but when I went to CV-SICU for preceptorship, we had IABPs, CRRT, MVR/AVR and a host of others that I hadn't heard anyplace else. That said, you'll pick it up fairly quickly.

Also, to the above poster: RACE is how you handle a fire (Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish). RICE is what you do for a sprain/strain (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). You're welcome. :-)

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Specializes in LTC Family Practice.

As a student learning the acronyms was just plain mind numbing memorization.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

The more you use them the easier it gets! But it definetely depends where you work. My favorite is SOB (shortness of breath). Funny thing is you'll be writing RN after signing your name every where. Oh and with (c with line above it) also.

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I catch myself doing it mostly in text messages because it helps to make the message so much shorter and faster :lvan:

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LOL isn't just for laughing out loud but also for " little old lady"

*Shakes head* Just learned that one. LoL.

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