Learning medical terminology is like a completely different language. Healthcare professionals speak to one another fluently, without even realizing how difficult it may be for patients, students, or other hospital employees to understand. These flashcards will get you started.
| CC | Chief complaint |
| BMI | Body mass index, a measure based on height and weight |
| BP SBP DBP |
Blood pressure Systolic blood pressure — BP in arteries when the heart beats (contracts) Diastolic blood pressure — BP in arteries when the heart rests in between beats |
| Hypertension Stage 1 Stage 2 |
Elevated blood pressure (BP) is divided into stages, depending on how high. SBP from 130–139 or a DBP from 80–89 mmHg SBP of 140 or higher or DBP of 90 mmHG or higher |
| CPR | Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: life-saving technique |
| DNR-CC | Do not resuscitate — comfort care is a protocol where no resuscitative actions to maintain life are performed by the healthcare team. These actions include clearing the airway, giving oxygen, improving patient position, treat bleeding. |
| DNR-CC Arrest | Do not resuscitate — comfort care arrest occurs when a patient experiences either cardiac or respiratory arrest. Patients will only receive comfort care. |
| ED ER |
Emergency department Emergency room |
| HR BPM |
Heart rate Beats per minute |
| High fowler’s position Semi fowler’s position |
The head of the bed is elevated between 60 and 90-degree angles. Head of the bed elevated between 15 and 45-degree angle.  Photo by Saltanat ebli is marked with CC0 1.0(Creative Commons) |
| Supine Prone |
Laying flat on the back Photo by Wikimedia Laying on stomach |
| Chronic | Persistent, recurrent condition |
| Acute | Persistent, recurrent condition. A condition that begins abruptly but with a short duration and may be severe. |
| IV | Intravenous — inside of the vein. IV medication administration yields quick-acting effects and is given through an IV catheter. |
| MI | Myocardial infarction, known as a “heart attack” |
| Dyspnea or SOB | Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath |
| Stat | Immediately |
| Rx | Prescription |
| PT | Physical therapy |
| OR | Operation room |
| NICU | Neonatal intensive care unit |
| MVA | Motor vehicle accident |
| A&Ox 3 or 4 AA&OX3 or 4 |
Alert and oriented to person, place, and time (3) or person, place, time, and circumstance (4) Awake, alert, & oriented |
| WNL | Within normal limits. |
| SBAR | Situation, background, assessment, and recommendation. Used as a communication tool among healthcare professionals. |
| Void | Passing urine |
| I&O | Input & output |
| Fracture | The breaking of a bone or cartilage |
| CBC WBC RBC HGB HCT |
Complete blood count — a laboratory blood test for white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. White blood cells Red blood cells Hemoglobin Hematocrit |
| CMP | Complete metabolic panel — a laboratory blood test of 14 different substances that describes date regarding chemical balances and metabolism. |
| UA and C&S | Urinalysis, culture & sensitivity. A urine dip to evaluate for blood, pH, and other cells. If infection is found, it is sent to be cultured and the bacteria that is grown is tested with antibiotics to evaluate which type it is sensitive to. |
| BSX4 quads | Bowel sounds in all four quadrants (active, hypoactive, hyperactive, absent) |
| RUQ, LUQ, LLQ, RLQ | Right upper quadrant, left upper quadrant, left lower quadrant, right lower quadrant. |
| IS | Incentive spirometer |
| Ambulate | Walk from place to place |
| ROM | Range of Motion is the measurement of movement of a joint |
| Outpatient | Care out of the hospital |
| Inpatient | Care in the hospital |
| Metastasize | Spread from the point of origin to elsewhere in the body. Often used to describe cancer. |
| Malignant | Presence of cancerous cells |
| Benign | Not cancerous |
