What do you do when you’re handed a tough task at work? Well, you handle it. As a nurse, juggling difficult, complex tasks that require your full attention (ironically) is pretty much the name of the game from the beginning of your shift to the last minute of the work day.
Every nurse, however (regardless of how seasoned they are!) has that one task that gives them butterflies in the stomach. Here are answers to six at-work questions that nurses — the new as well as the seasoned — frequently ask.
1. How do I properly pronounce ‘Guaifenesin’?
Can I get a vowel?!
It’s not enough that nursing and the world of medicine is saturated with acronyms. Not only do we abuse acronyms, but also nursing has its own language. So now we rub salt into our wounds by having to pronounce those crazy terms properly.
[As a side note, let's thank the Latin language for contributing to this entertaining frustration.]
Guaifenesin??
Gwuah?…Did you just sneeze or something?
The next time someone asks you how to pronounce this common expectorant, think of another ‘G’ word that we commonly see when we suspect gastrointestinal bleeding. Remember the test we order called Guaiac stool?
(Why does everything lead back to poo? Really?)
Guaiac = ‘gwi-ak’
Guiltiness = ‘gwi-Fen-ah-sin’
You just correlated coughing with pooping in the same sentence. Isn’t nursing fun?!
Next: How do I memorize common lab values? →
For more Career Advice for Nurses pick up the latest issue of Scrubs magazine, available at a retail store near you!
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Realistic yet funny! Love this….keep them coming!