tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post6673726484522622818..comments2024-03-23T17:49:56.783-07:00Comments on oldfoolrn: Downey VA Hospital SlangOldfoolrnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01747485143127099085noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post-58381048153907233372020-09-29T13:20:04.192-07:002020-09-29T13:20:04.192-07:00I never worked in psych until I showed up at Downe...I never worked in psych until I showed up at Downey. I should have suspicious when I interviewed in late morning and they wanted me to start working the very same day on the PM shift.<br /><br />I learned later that their primary interest in me was because I was a big guy and could handle the most violent ward (Bldg. 66) in the whole mess. Downey was the saddest place I ever worked.Oldfoolrnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01747485143127099085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post-21744183044882012702020-09-29T12:37:45.686-07:002020-09-29T12:37:45.686-07:00This post is priceless. I am unfamiliar with most ...This post is priceless. I am unfamiliar with most of these terms, perhaps because I have never worked psych.Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14762411508019700960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post-80226256432755584192016-02-26T18:08:13.132-08:002016-02-26T18:08:13.132-08:00Thanks for all the nice comments. Much of the rea...Thanks for all the nice comments. Much of the really interesting medical slang like GOMER came after my time. I think the publication of The House of God by Samuel Shem in 1978 provided a good discussion of hospital slang. Turfing, blocking, and dumping in reference to patient referrals are probably very common. I've heard of buffing (correcting electrolyte imbalance or transfusing for anemia) and then turfing ( transferring to another service.) We used to talk about dumping all the time. Of course there is always "Bounceback" when the patient comes back like a boomerang. <br /><br /> One of my favorite slang terms FOOBA - Found on ortho barely alive, does have an element of truth to it. Orthopods are very good at setting bones while not keeping up with unstable medical problems. A common problem being fluid overload in the OR (just letting the IV run wide open for the case) and then expecting a compromised heart and vascular system to handle it. Now it's Lasix time! That seemed to happen quite frequently.<br /><br />When slang is used with patients, you have to be careful. I remember one gyne doc that always explained D&Cs by saying "I'm just going to go in there and do a little dusting and cleaning." This always seemed to puzzle patients and I always tried to give a more factual description if questioned.<br /><br />I think slang promotes a sense of camaraderie among practitioners and is also a quick way of communicating something unpleasant. It is interesting and every hospital seems to have some unique terms.Oldfoolrnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01747485143127099085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post-32929320825193344822016-02-26T11:49:11.370-08:002016-02-26T11:49:11.370-08:00I'll echo the previous thoughts and let you kn...I'll echo the previous thoughts and let you know that your musings take me back to a time in the Penna. State Hospital System. Then it was an effort. Now looked back upon with nostalgia and appreciation. Congrats on a great fun blog.Chicken Littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12793952075462800530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post-55983430919535599082016-02-26T08:28:36.513-08:002016-02-26T08:28:36.513-08:00I check your blog every day. My mother was a nurs...I check your blog every day. My mother was a nurse and all her sisters and half-sisters were RN's too. I think their dad's allergy to work taught them not to count on husbands. Given the choice of professions available to women in the 1940's (and maybe their dad's brief work as a teacher), they all chose nursing; I think their influence made me a better doctor. Keep up the good work! Olddochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05105489275646559609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post-52331239482410310742016-02-26T07:11:40.379-08:002016-02-26T07:11:40.379-08:00I know just enough about medicine to be dangerous,...I know just enough about medicine to be dangerous, but cops and nurses have always had a bond, so I like reading this kind of stuff. Other slang I've learned: GOMER = Get Out of My Emergency Room (courtesy of all the ER RNs I've met over the years). Also, the police code where I worked for mentally unstable is 10-96. So, of course, we cops always referred to anybody acting crazy as a 96er. Congrats on #100. Keep it up.Officer Cynicalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04193271958353271282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4723755846699098373.post-83476017140315961592016-02-25T20:38:27.705-08:002016-02-25T20:38:27.705-08:00Happy Anniversary!! While Psych and OR were never...Happy Anniversary!! While Psych and OR were never my fields, I very much enjoy your writings!<br />Hmmmmmmm ~ though we did do our fair share of psych therapy in the ICU.<br />I look forward to reading more from you!bobbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14353836074794786357noreply@blogger.com