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Hyphens

Posted By: Meddy on 2005-11-30
In Reply to:

? Should re-evaluate be hyphenated or never hyphenated.  I am from the old school that it should be hyphenated to avoid doubling vowels but in QA I was told not to hyphenate it.  Should the word penicillin be capitalized when listed in allergies and not any place else?  Thanks




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If acct wants hyphens, you give them hyphens. Doesn't
p
hyphens

QA has told me lately do not hyphenate such words.  The reports that I type require allergies to be capitalized.  I thought that was pretty much standard.  Do you not have to capitalize yours?


hyphens

These are not words I've ever hyphenated.  When you use the o and the a as combining forms talar fibular...talofibular...there's no need for hyphens.


I have a problem with the use of hypens in that the new style book is not consistent with the on-the-job training I've had for 30 years.  I wonder where the people trained who wrote the new book of style for all of us who had English grammer 30 years ago.  Much to confusing.


Hyphens
I agree if the account wants hyphens, but they say follow the Book of Style and not all of the QA puts them in when they should not be there, just a select few who need to pick up the BOS and read it.
hyphens
Okay terrible with hyphens and always confusing to me.  Repacked and redressed are they hyphenated and can anyone give me a good rule to remember how I should know if a word like this is hyphentated.
hyphens sm
I have a thing about misplaced hyphens and apostrophes.

PER BOS: Compound modifiers
You DO hyphen BEFORE the noun, not after. So:

The patient is well developed and well nourished. (after the noun, no hyphen)

This is a well-developed well-nourished woman... (before the noun, so you DO hyphen)

Simple rule. I have an MT who really is screwy with hyphens. Examples:

I will the patient in 1-day. NOPE
I will see the patient in 2-day's time. NOPE, and this pisses me off! BOTH the hyphen and the apostrophe are wrong.

Now, I see non-distended and non-tender all the time. Is this right or wrong? Wrong as far as I am concerned, but I don't correct or count off for it because gee, it really makes no difference, no matter where it appears, it is not the above rule at all.

A QA person who THINKS she knows where every comma should or should not go is full of it. They are, as always subjective.

And most of them don't know this. It is explained in the BOS, which is where I got this, if you find I am too hard to follow. It is a grammar rule and probably something that you get slammed on, fairly or unfairly. Look it up in the BOS and make your case. If you have been an MT for a long time, YOU are probably right, not the QA person.

Is it: Your family is here or your family are here? Technically either is correct.

Marcaine 0.5% 2 mL were infused. WRONG, it is Marcaine 0.5% 2 mL was infused. Marcaine is your noun, not the 2 mL. I have been counted off for doing it right. Bet you have too.

There are plenty of these examples and there are the rules in the BOS. QA is NOT always right! I am not always right and I do it every day. Like you, I do the best I know how.

I have, over my time as an MT, questioned my skills many times. There was one time, 4 yrs ago, when I had an epiphany. I was not as good as I thought I was, plain and simple. I took a new job, had to learn a new Expander and almost start from scratch because I went from family practice to OP notes, nothing in between, I didn't pass go and I didn't collect $200! If I thought I was all that, I was wrong. It was an opportunity for me improve my skills and BE the MT I thought I was, but was not. I don't read every report, I do proof as I go along, but every couple of weeks, I will read word for word a couple of reports to check myself and make sure I am not getting sloppy, careless or losing something in the translation. We ALL get into bad habits that one company said was okay and the new company says is wrong. You have to look at it, honestly, and judge yourself carefully. It may be you need to pay more attention, but it may be that you are being harshly and incorrectly judged for work that is quite acceptable. If it is quite acceptable and they are pounding you, move on with a new, better job.

QA people sometimes think they are all that and in charge of you, and they aren't. We have MT managers to be in charge of us! They are often not as smart as they think they are, and they are not your superior in experience or skill either, not most of them.

I wish I had time to vent about being a QA, perhaps another day.
hyphens
What is up with it is that there are specific rules to placing hyphens.  Get yourself a good grammar reference book to use and you should avoid the problem.  Do you not think you have some responsibility for producing work that is correct?
What are your thoughts on using hyphens for sm--

Calcaneo-cuboid Joint and Talof-ibularJoint---also why would joints be capitalized?


Just got put on a new account and QA marked me wrong because I did not use hyphens or a capital "J"


Therefore, yes, in your case put hyphens.
nm
I would use hyphens in the examples you provided. sm

I would put 32-year-old male, but no hyphen if it's something like *Patient is 32 years old.*  (Same with 11-pound weight loss vs pt has lost 11 pounds.)  I can't quote the rule on this offhand, but whatever the rule is, I personally I think the hyphens make it easier to read/understand. 


Hyphens in the wrong places
Thank you! This is why I am so upset. I know this is wrong and my hands are tied. Not all of the QA where I am change this, but a few do. The bad part is that it is fate which determines which QA checks the work each day. Wish only the good QA people were in control.
I agree. AHDI has a 'thing' with the hyphens, put them in here, take them out there... etc..
Anyways the newest trend is to rather leave them out, acc to BOS 3, so, if in doubt, leave them out, like the commas.

As soon one has learnt the changes, new rules come along.

It was

A 10-cm incision was made.

Now it is again

A 10 cm incision was made.
Hyphens are used because 32-year-old and 11-pound are compound modifiers. SM

A compound modifier is two or more words that act as a single modifier for a noun.


For example:


32-year-old male


11-pound weight loss


22-gauge needle


1-cm mass