“She’s Your Basic LOL in NAD” by Perri Klass is an engaging essay about medical terminology and its functions, whether positive or negative, from the perspective of a first-year medical student who has just begun working in a hospital. The essay begins with a dialogue of an intern telling the students about a patient, Mrs.Tolstoy, who is a “basic LOL in NAD,” Klass then explains this means she is a Little Old Lady in No Apparent Distress. This is an example of the endless medical terminology that was quickly learned within 3 months of being a medical student. This “jargon” fell into place in Klass’ mind, she took it for granted at times by using it in her daily life, thinking that this was obvious knowledge to everyone. There are different
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According to Klass a positive function of this terminology is: “These special languages contribute to a sense of closeness and professional spirit among a group of people who are under a great deal of stress,” she first hand experienced this when she finally understood what it all meant (104). On the other hand, there was also a negative side to this terminology that she never wanted to use that shows some doctors have gone too far; a specific example of this would be a patient being CTD; a resident used this meaning they were Circling The Drain. In accordance with a previous point, the most important positive function that this language served was keeping a distance between themselves and the patient, with the purpose that they would not have the emotional pain of a patient not doing well. Another positive function served by this is that everyone involved in the treatment could speak amongst themselves in the presence of the patient without causing …show more content…
I felt the separation from others in 7th grade when I was at a sleepover with one of my best friends and a few others. It started out as a normal sleepover; we all sat on a bed with blankets on the floor and ordered pizza to be delivered, I was having fun. But as the night continued my friend slowly started conversing with the others more than me. They spoke about private matters to such a degree that it was code words as if they did not want me included. I felt like I didn’t belong there, and it made me feel distressed and questioning whether I should even be there at all. My best friend acted as if I wasn’t sitting right next to her as they spoke about who they liked and drama that was going on at school. On the other hand, just as Klass could speak with her colleagues without the patient knowing what they were saying, I was the “patient” and had no idea what was being said. I did not really do anything to better this situation, I tried to make myself included in the conversation but it. I still felt separated because from them, so all I could do is wait for their conversation to be over. Looking back, I know that I could have tried harder to lessen that separation and be more included in what was going on. Just as Klass took a step back from the situation, I could have done so in the moment. The outcome of the situation was a greater
According to Klass a positive function of this terminology is: “These special languages contribute to a sense of closeness and professional spirit among a group of people who are under a great deal of stress,” she first hand experienced this when she finally understood what it all meant (104). On the other hand, there was also a negative side to this terminology that she never wanted to use that shows some doctors have gone too far; a specific example of this would be a patient being CTD; a resident used this meaning they were Circling The Drain. In accordance with a previous point, the most important positive function that this language served was keeping a distance between themselves and the patient, with the purpose that they would not have the emotional pain of a patient not doing well. Another positive function served by this is that everyone involved in the treatment could speak amongst themselves in the presence of the patient without causing …show more content…
I felt the separation from others in 7th grade when I was at a sleepover with one of my best friends and a few others. It started out as a normal sleepover; we all sat on a bed with blankets on the floor and ordered pizza to be delivered, I was having fun. But as the night continued my friend slowly started conversing with the others more than me. They spoke about private matters to such a degree that it was code words as if they did not want me included. I felt like I didn’t belong there, and it made me feel distressed and questioning whether I should even be there at all. My best friend acted as if I wasn’t sitting right next to her as they spoke about who they liked and drama that was going on at school. On the other hand, just as Klass could speak with her colleagues without the patient knowing what they were saying, I was the “patient” and had no idea what was being said. I did not really do anything to better this situation, I tried to make myself included in the conversation but it. I still felt separated because from them, so all I could do is wait for their conversation to be over. Looking back, I know that I could have tried harder to lessen that separation and be more included in what was going on. Just as Klass took a step back from the situation, I could have done so in the moment. The outcome of the situation was a greater