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If you’ve ever treated a “frequent flyer” patient with a case of “Nintendo thumb” or “Avatar blues,” you may be familiar with this list of 40 humorous nursing lingo terms.
Courtesy of our Scrubs Magazine readers and SlangRN.com we present these slang terms nurses use and wonder, what are some more? Scroll to the bottom to submit your favorites!
1. frequent flyer
Definition: One who visits healthcare providers, emergency departments, etc. for every little health problem, often drug seeking or wanting work excuses.
— contributed by scrubsmag.com reader, Kelly
2. boyfriend
Definition: The cute little old men who are a joy to take care of.
— contributed by scrubsmag.com reader, Grace
3. BONITA
Definition: An acronym used in the ER which stands for ‘Big ‘Ol Needle in the A$$.’
Usage: I’m about to give this patient a bonita.
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, Tiffany Pizzimenti
4. DFO
Defintion: Acronym for ‘Done Fell Out.’
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, Nanci Leigh Nix
5. MD
Definition: Acronym for Makes Decisions.
Usage: Do you see MD after my name? That means Makes Decisions.
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, Maranda Thompson
6. RN
Definition: Acronym for Refuses/Resists Nonsense.
Usage: Do you see RN after my name? It stands for Resists/Refuses Nonsense!
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, Maranda Thompson
7. TMB
Definition: Acronym for ‘Too Many Birthdays.’
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, Amanda Belcher Klumpp
8. Jack in the Box
Definition: A patient who can’t stand or walk yet insists on trying.
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, Susan Broadway
9. FDGB
Definition: An acronym used in the ER which stands for ‘Fall Down Go Boom.’
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, Tiffany Pizzimenti
10. F/U
Definition: A shortened version of ‘Follow Up.’
Fun (and cautionary) fact: The contributor of this term actually got in trouble by the state surveyor for using it in his charting!
— contributed by scrubsmag.com Facebook fan, John Allen Hough
Slang terms 11-20 include the “Crispies” and the “Whine Line…”
“circling the drain”
I’ve also heard about the 3 o’clock break — when the kid comes home, has a snack, climbs a tree, falls out of the tree and breaks his/her arm. And the Sunday Bagel, where the person decides to slice the bagel while holding it and slices their palm as an extra morning treat.
Loved this article. Thanks!
Stav
“frequent flyer”–one who visits healthcare providers, emergency departments, etc. for every little health problem, often drug seeking or wanting work excuses
Boyfriend- the cute little old men who are a joy to take care of
trainwreck- pt with multiple heath problems and multiple diagnosises that has no buisness on a med-surg floor but doesn’t “qualify” for ICU….. that is until they code in the middle of the night. It’s my favorite word/label, we’re usually pretty close to right when we label them too…… darn doctors….
We have the “whine line”. In prison it’s the inmates suddenly needing to see medical because it’s raining and they don’t want to have to go to work. In the hospital it’s the uninsured that show up in the ER at 0200 with sniffles, etc.
“It’s cold and rainy out there. Gonna have a whine line this morning”
AFN was once a popular term used on the Emergency Department whiteboard to protect the privacy of psychiatric patients at a facility I worked at, until the patients realized what it stood for.=D
I heard a psych nurse use a new one the other day–drunkacidal. They come to the ER drunk with suicidal ideation, but as they sober up they deny any suicidal/homicidal thoughts or attempts.
FUBAR – we used to refer to critically critical trauma victims as FUBAR to indicate the hopelessness of the case but we were trying anyway.
MALIBU BARBIE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE- where the resident doctors who wore 6 inch heels, short skirts, and acrylic nail tips attended medical school (the higher the heel, the more help they needed making decisions about what tests to order for the patient… yipes… I know, it sounds kind of sexist, but it was a real term…)
PITA-Pain In The Ass (can be patient or family)
“Patient is great but the family is a real PITA”
NONE of the terms submited are accually ‘slang terms for nurses’. none of the terms mean “nurses”. They are more of ‘slang terms and abreviations that nurses use’ and or ‘slang terms and abreviations that are used by nurses’.
I was realy looking forward to reading some diferant terms and workds and can be used in place of the word “nurse”.
This needs to be fixed ASAP or much sooner, please. ok????
Hi…we agree, and have changed the title to slang terms “nurses use.”
All best,
Miriam
Scrubs Mag
Here are a few slangs that are used in the ER where I work…
CCFCP-Coo Coo For Cocoa Puffs (as in that pt is crazy, wierd, eccentric, etc).
WADAO-Weak and DizzyAll Over (pronounced wahdayo)
FMPS-Fluff my Pillow syndrome (used for a pt that is super demanding and acts sicker than they really are)
Chandelier Sign- (when a pt hits the roof with palpation of a specific area) That pt exhibited a positive chandelier sign when I palpated her abdomen.
Code brown – when an incontinent patient has a mishap. Most of the time a c-diff pt.
We have a code brown in room 180.
LOL,FOF – Little old lady found on floor.
LOL,DFO- Little old lady, done fell out.
Acute FOS syndrome – Acute full of sh%t syndrome.
Vitamin X- Xanax (see above disorder)
Chronic Alphabetitis – A patient who has Hep B, Hep C, HIV and most likely an STD. AKA – Double glove!
CAH- Crazy As He77
(family or patient)
The patient is sweet, but Im diagnosing her mother with CAH
FLK- funny looking kid.
Man that’s a FLK but he’s kinda cute
AJU= All Jacked Up (multiple issues)
FTF= Failure to Fly (usually head-bonks, but can be used throughout traumas)
FLK with GLM/GLD= Funny Lookin’ Kid with Good lookin’ Mom/Dad…probably a syndrome
-likewise–FLK with FLM/FLK= Funny Lookin’ Kid with Funny Lookin’ Mom/Dad…probably just genetics
Capital A circled…can mean either ‘anxious’ or ‘a**hole’, depending on the situation…one step above PITA.
I’m sure I’ll think of more later….
The “Q” sign–Dead. (Picture a round cartoon face with the X-ed eyes and the tongue hanging out )
Repeat Offender–same as Frequent Flyer
the “O” sign, not quite dead yet. Will soon become the “Q” sign
GOMER- get out of my ER.
F&N- Freakin nuts, usally a different first word.
I prefer “tanorexic” for those with too much tanning booth usage
FTD-Fixing to Die
“Celestial Discharge”-patient has passed.
bad but cute!
CTD-Circlin’ the drain. (Getting ready to die)
BSC- Bat s**t crazy
B.A.T.S. fracture
broke all to sh*t
DND: damn near dead
In the Med/Surg ICU I work in alot of our patients are DND when they hit the doors.
Drunk Tank – the hallway beds in the ER where we keep our frequent flyer, homeless, ETOH abusers that have soiled their clothing with emesis, urine, stool or all of the above.
Vitamin H–Haldol
code brown- major BM either all over the bed or floor
coo coo for coco puffs- crazy patient who needs a psych consult big time
alphabet soup- patient with extensive history that consists of acronyms: HTN, CABG, CAD, PVD, PAD, MI, DM…
DRT – Dead Right There
DQ – Drama Queen
TOBP- I get this alot working in OB. repeat visits requesting to have their baby now
Tired Of Being Pregnant
How about Code Brown= poopy pants or FOS=full of shit–literally needing some MOM stat!! LOL
HAM: Cocktail of Haldol, Atvan and Morphine used for end of life patients who are in pain and very restless.
usage: Room 212 has been hammed up this evening.
Toe Juice: Clortrimazole liquid used on toenails to keep fungus at bay.
Usage: Room 200 has had his toe juice put on this morning.
TSTL-Too Stupid to Live.
All that patient needs is a little pillow therapy-smothering with a pillow
Vitamin A shot – ativan shot for agitation.
TOP – Tired of Pregnancy
DAR – Dumb as Rocks (or it’s sister: RAS – Rocks Are Smarter)
Gorked – new baby that comes out blue, stunned, and not breathing
Princess – pt who wants (and expects) to be waited on hand and foot and likes everything on a silver platter
OTD – out the door – also known as: about to be discharged
GORKED- God only really knows. As in no one can figure out what all is wrong.
TSTL= Too stupid to live.
Samsonite Syndrome-patient arrives in ER(usually by ambulance) with fully packed suitcase expecting admission
walkie talkie- Nursing home patients that can walk and talk. Enfamil- new nurses. Psych Cocktail- benadryl, haldol, and ativan shot.
little-old-lady(man) itis – elderly person with multiple minor complaints or requests to keep you at their bedside
LT- loony toons
balance challenged- someone fell
fobs- fell off bar stool
ICI (icky)- intelligence challenged idiot- did something incredibly stupid to get hurt (lighting bottle rockets placed in their rectum, for instance- wish that was a lie! LOL)
4H- Homeless, Helpless, Hapless, Halitosis!
PITA – the patient or family member that is a Pain In The Ass.
FOS-constipated patient.
coffee grounds:
the appearance of vomit following bleeding in the upper GI tract.
CWMC- child well, mother crazy
Floppin Fish- combative drunk
Dying Swan- needs to make sure everyone who can hear knows how deathly ill (they think) they are.
all to cute and real.
PIta =Pain in the ___
HM- high maintainence
DHM- Double High Maintainence
As you explain to the new grad nurse ” This is oncology all the patiets are HM but the lady in 510 is DHM.”
Or to fellow nurse ” I have a DHM in 510, she’s all yours tomorrow.
Rotater
A patient so complex or DHM that they have to be rotated each day to a different nurse to prevent burnout of the staff.
LOL in NAD. Little old lady in no apparent distress. You don’t hear that one much any more…
“Dr Too Long” needs to speak with you……. nurse message for the physician who is tied up with a very very long winded pt and cannot escape.
And my newest term: dilaudid deficiency. This one is self explanatory?
Bergler…Pt has asberger symptoms…
Used in a sentence: I know that kid has autism but his father has bergler written all over him…
Rearranging deck chairs on the titanic
aka medical futility or treating toenail fungus of a 99 yo pt w/ MODS, ARDS, etc.
When a laboring pt. is headed for a c-section we call it “circling the runway”, or their headed for “Vaginal Bypass Surgery” or VBS. When a pt. shows up with questionable ruptured membranes and their pants are soaked we call it “positive pants sign”. Just some OB humor. We also use FLK, as mentioned by someone else, to categorize some new babies that are “Funny Looking Kids”. (mean I know- everyone thinks their kids the cutest.)
Positive Wheelchair Sign (PWS) when a pt arrives in OB and can’t sit straight in the wheelchair….time to RUN to the labor room because she’s FTHAB or “Fixin’ to have a baby”
TFTF meaning “Too Fat to Fit” a term we use in our OB department to describe a baby that is macrosomic and fails to descend. Means that mom is “headed for a zipper” AKA c/section!
synonym = CPD (cephalopelvic disproportion)
finger painting: when a pt. with dementia discovers what’s in their diaper and plays with it for awhile until they’re discovered by an unsuspecting aide or nurse.
Scooby Doo for stool collection.
DNR (Do not return) Agency nurses that you don’t want back in your unit/hospital.
Bush Gardens: The designated gyno rooms in the ER. Also known as the Fish Market.
Whack-a-do: Term for a crazy patient who is not being seen for psych issues.
FOS: Full of Sh*t/Stool
Positive or negative tooth to tattoo sign=patient or family member who actually still has more teeth in their mouth than tattoos on their body.
Ex. the patient isn’t too bad but most of her family has negative tooth to tattoo sign.
re: tooth to tattoo sign….in the area where I live people with negaitve tooth to tattoo signs act ignorant,abrasive and entitled.
POF order. (Pillow over face)
That patient’s out in left field without a glove!
We use the official ICD9 code for ‘anal pain’ 569.32
“Special” or “Precious”
The patient of family member that thinks they are the only patient that you have.
car fax report–used by our ED docs to request a pt’s narcotic list-as in where have they been and how many Lortabs did they get filled so we don’t have to supply them with any today. Oh and of course it is never the correct info cause “that ain’t me on that report!”
TBF…total body failure
Chest compressions to the song “Stayin Alive” by the BeeGees.
How did “Citizen” not make the list?
Some of my patient’s need TLC. Thorazine, Lorazepam and Compazine!
“5&2″… Code for “Haldol and Ativan IM”
“road test” ambulate the patient before we discharge them home.
how about PITA-short for Pain in the ass?My head nurse almost wrote this next to a patient’s name!Fortunately i was there to stop her and tell her what it meant!
“Spoda” We use this term casually in the ER, as in:
Pt was seen here yesterday, returned today cuz they were “spoda” get the Rx filled, but did not.
Pt who “spoda” stop smoking but in ER again for COPD exacerbation.
Pt “spoda” have Tylenol at home for their baby with temp of 103, but did not want to buy it.
Most of our “spoda” pts are regulars.
LMAO….love it
#1…A positive “Benton’s Sign”…when pt. rolls into ER pale, decreased responsiveness, low b/p, and knees are mottled: all criteria for septicemia/shock diagnosis. #2…”JPC”…acronym for pt. with issues/ need for psychiatric care, and a STAT order for a “B52″ ( JPC : Just Plain Crazy, B52: Benedryl, Haldol 5mg, and Ativan 2mg IM, given with an 18 gauge, while 72 year old security officer has ‘em in a head-lock )
RN
Registered Nurse
Gotta remember B52. That is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BOBS: Big Ol’ Baby Syndrome. Diagnosis for the patient who complains that they have multiple symptoms/needs but there is not much wrong with them
“The patient says he is nauseous AND wants a second dinner tray – he’s got BOBS.”
LOLS: Little Old Lady Syndrome. Similar to BOBS but with the little old lady who wants to be waited on somewhere more exciting than home.
Broadway: The way the hall looks when every patient is hitting their call light incessently. Alternate term: Christmas
“The place looks like Christmas out there! Where are the CNAs?”
BUFA baby: baby up for adoption
The “H” word: Hospice
FOSS= Full of Sh!t Syndrome-those that feign every pain they can in hopes of a script for pain meds…usually specifically asking for “them Loratabs”. These are typically frequent flyers as well.
“We have three FOSS’s on the schedule before lunch”
RN
Registered Nurse
I didn’t see…
CCFCCP – coo-coo for cocoa puffs (crazy patient)
CTD – circling the drain
MTF – metabolize to freedom (may be discharged when alcohol has been adequately metabolized)
or
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT (Military alphabet – think about it)
RN
Registered Nurse
Cranial-Rectal Inversion (head up their arse)
We have one ER doc who is always saying, “Stupid should be painful.”
Veterinary medicine…..testing for everything because the patient is too drunk, stupid, high, combative or all of the above to tell you what’s wrong.
Vitamin A deficiency – needs more ativan
Like ol’ Ron White says, “You can’t fix stupid.” And that means nurses will always have job security!
RN
Registered Nurse
We call some of our patients walkie talkies,…. meaning they are totally independent and dont need assistance for much.
RN
Registered Nurse
We have 6 floors on our hospital and when a patient passes we say Transfered to the 7th floor
RN
Registered Nurse
I don’t use about 3/4 of the official list, more of the reply list. But here’s a few.
ECU= Eternal Care Unit (ie: That patient has is going/has gone to the ECU.)
Laying of Hands= Used for an elderly patient who is ready to die but the family is in denial and wants everything done. (ie: That patient needs a laying of hands)
Bounceback= A patient that bounces back from medical floor to ICU or nursing home to ICU frequently.
The Clicker= The quad patient (that became that way by suicide attempt usually) that clicks his tongue literally every 2 minutes for something.
CAN: umbilical Cord Around fetus’ Neck
Bili Baby: baby under phototherapy for increased bilirubin
PUPPPs rash: Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy (pregnancy rash)
IOL for mat anx: Induction Of Labor for maternal anxiety
BUFA: Baby Up For Adoption
NWS: Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome
smoking breast: breastfed baby of mother who smokes