I decided to take a break from studying for my next final I have to take today and write in my blog since I have seriously been slacking. I do have to say it been tough to reflect on my thoughts in between having presentations to work on and 7 (yes that would be seven finals I must take in one week) to study for.  So I figured while I'm sitting here in the NIRC cramming for final #3, I would take a much needed breather.

On the one day I was able to visit my family up in PA for Thanksgiving...I was sitting and working on my patho presentation, which was on endocarditis, my mother peers over and reads my power point.  She exclaims, "Wow, this is like another language to me!!"  She has said this on multiple occasions when I chat with her about school and work.  

As medical professionals, we must keep in mind that medical terminology is "another language" to the layman.  It is a necessary language to learn while in school to be able to convey your findings or actions in documentation and to other colleagues.   But it is the layman we must keep in mind.  The layman is our patients and our patients' families.  We must be able to "translate" medical terminology to them.  There have been so many times when I have been in the room when a doctor came to inform the patient or the family of their status/condition.  Sometimes they don't even realize the jargon that they are throwing at them.  On top of this, these people are usually in some state of disbelief, shock, and stress over their condition and only hear about half of that to begin with.  So many times the doctor has left the room and I ask the family if they understood or have any other questions and they have no idea what he/she had just said.  When talking with the layman, don't feel as though you are talking down to them.  Think of it as translation.  You speak a language they don't know and you must translate to one they do.  Before you came to nursing school how many of you knew what emesis was? Myocardial infarction? Or toxic epithelial necrosis?  Right...so how do you expect your patient to know?  Mrs. Jones to you vomit at any time today?  Have you ever had a heart attack in the past?  Mr. Jones, your wife is having a severe skin reaction to one of the medications she has taken.  See doesn't that sound better.

So, as one of your nursing/practitioner roles you may add bilingual and translator.  Remember to always keep in mind the layman because to them you are speaking another language.