11.14.06
Speaking in code?
I joined an academic email group recently, which I naively thought would offer me some insight into the world of those who knew more about action research (my next college assignment). What I got was my inbox filled with emails in what can only be described as a secret code like language; I clearly have a lot to learn if I want to join that particularly world. This is a private group, so I guess if they want to speak to each other in a way no one else can understand, that is fine so long as they speak clearer English to their students and others. Of course it might be that I am just less bright than I thought, but I doubt it somehow.
Last week a colleague, not unlike me a former clinician who complained after a meeting about our District Nursing review, that at times the whole procedure takes place in code. She tends to ask a lot of clarifying questions, which is natural but said that doesn’t like to ask as many questions as she would like. She also wondered if people spoke in DN / Nursing code so others couldn’t understand (don’t think so) or if they actually know they are doing it (I think they do, though not in a really overt way), but it got me thinking.
I am sure every area of work has its own secret language, one that people have to learn before they can properly belong and can begin to understand the culture of that place, that specialty. I can remember being proud to do it and whats more to understand what is going on, but I am also acutely aware that maybe we should be more careful of our language (and I don’t mean we should swear less)! When I read some people’s blogs I find they are quite coded (well to my British, untrained eye), in a way it makes them seem more exciting, but in another way almost indecipherable! Often we write our posts for a small group of people and indeed for ourselves (after all best not to suppose anyone but yourself reads your drivel) but actually anyone on the Internet can read them. I find an increasing number of people are searching my blog to find out things about nurses and nursing. Perhaps we owe it to them to try to at least make our blogs slightly easy to understand, or else do what madrad has done and publish a glossary of terms!
Change of Shift: Volume One, number Eleven « Life in the NHS said,
November 15, 2006 at 8:34 pm
[...] It is communication of a different kind that has John Crippen of NHS Blog doc angry (a not uncommon occurrence as regular readers of his blog will know). Manager jargon contained in a letter from an NHS Ambulance Trust appears to be suggesting that patients will be telephone triaged by ‘ambulance clinicians’ (whoever they are) in an attempt to cut down unnecessary Accident and Emergency visits. As John says, patients might be better off calling a taxi than putting their lives in the hands of yet another quacktitioner! Speaking in code is a pet hate of my own and in my own post of that name on Life in the NHS wonder why we do it quite so much. This is not to say that I can not be heard doing it myself, but at least I have insight! Speaking of which, Nurse Ratched points out how many letters people seem to have after their names these days which are pretty much an alphabet soup, with one thing and another it is definately getting complicated for us older nurses! [...]
Kim said,
November 16, 2006 at 4:33 pm
I find myself slipping into “nursespeak” every now and then and reminding myself to define a term or choose a different one.
What on earth is the font in that email? It looks like “Wingbats” or something like that - not sure if that is the exact name - that I have in my font list.
Either that or James Bond is trying to reach you…..
Julie said,
November 16, 2006 at 5:33 pm
I would rather think is is James Bond, as he is topical this week!