Please study the 20 vocabulary terms below. Then press the Mark Complete button to continue.
- albatross
- a chronically ill patient who will remain in hospital until they die
- appy
- an appendicitis, or an appendix
- bounceback
- a patient who is readmitted to hospital after being discharged
- circle the drain
- to be close to death
- code brown
- a fecal emergency, incontinence
- departure lounge
- the geriatrics ward
- discharged up
- to pass away, die
- frequent flyer
- a patient who spends a lot of time at hospital, is frequently admitted
- gatekeeper
- an administrative doctor whose job it is to reduce costs by only admitting emergency cases, or those with suitable insurance
- get hammered
- to have a large number of admissions while on duty
- goldbrick
- a patient who demands more time than their condition deserves
- LPN (low paid nurse)
- a play on words with the term LPN Licensed Practical Nurse
- noctor
- a junior nurse who thinks they are a doctor
- puppies
- interns or residents
- shotgunning
- ordering a wide variety of tests in the hope one of them will show what is wrong with a patient
- slasher
- a surgeon
- turf
- to get rid of a patient by referring them to another ward / team / doctor
- velcro
- relatives or friends who stay with a patient at all times
- wallet biopsy
- the process of confirming a patients insurance before admission to hospital
- zebra
- an obscure diagnosis when a more commonplace diagnosis is more likely
US
UK
US
UK
We try to provide comfort to the albatrosses, even though we cannot cure them.
US
UK
US
UK
He presented complaining of an appy.
US
UK
US
UK
If a doctor gets too many bouncebacks, it raises questions over his original diagnosis.
US
UK
US
UK
She was circling the drain when I left last night so I wasn't surprised to hear she had passed away.
US
UK
US
UK
Most nurses dread hearing the words, "code brown".
US
UK
US
UK
Working in the departure lounge requires a lot of patience and empathy.
US
UK
US
UK
Two patients were discharged up last night so we have two free beds.
US
UK
US
UK
Everyone at the hospital knows Mary, she is a real frequent flyer.
US
UK
US
UK
As the gatekeeper, he decides who should be admitted and who should not.
US
UK
US
UK
A&E departments usually get hammered on Friday and Saturday nights.
US
UK
US
UK
He only had a slight temperature but from the way he was complaining you would have thought he was going to die - what a goldbrick!
US
UK
US
UK
I'll get one of the LPNs to give her a sponge bath, I certainly am not going to do it myself.
US
UK
US
UK
One of the most annoying things for doctors is dealing with noctors who think they know more than the doctor does.
US
UK
US
UK
All puppies should be present for rounds at 8am.
US
UK
US
UK
The doctors had no idea what was wrong with the patient so resorted to shotgunning.
US
UK
US
UK
Slashers have a reputation of being less intelligent than other doctors, but this is rarely true.
US
UK
US
UK
It is not uncommon for a problem patient to be turfed from one department to another until they are discharged.
US
UK
US
UK
Other patients in the ward felt uncomfortable because of her velcro who stayed with her around the clock.
US
UK
US
UK
In corporate America, the wallet biopsy has become commonplace.
US
UK
US
UK
Some doctors seem to overlook the obvious and arrive at zebras.