Things you will see in hospital
When you come to the hospital you see some strange things that nurses and doctors use every day at work. Here are some pictures to show you what we use.
Stethoscope to listen with
The sounds your body makes are very useful to us, but they are often too quiet to hear with just our ears. We can use the stethoscope to listen to your heart beating, your breathing or the noises that your tummy is making. It is sometimes a little cold but it doesn't hurt and it only takes a few minutes. The doctor or nurse might ask you to breath in and out so that they can hear clearly how your body is working on the inside!
Dinamap (Blood-pressure machine)
When we measure your blood pressure, we can tell how hard your heart has to work to pump blood around your body. To do this, a machine blows up a special strap (cuff) around your arm or leg. This can feel a bit funny but doesn't hurt. Then we let the cuff down gently, which takes about half a minute.
Scales to measure your weight
It is helpful for us to know how much you weigh because we can find out how much you are growing and work out the right amount of medicine to give you. We sometimes use the normal scales you stand on at home or sometimes we use a special chair.
Thermometer
A thermometer is used to take your temperature. When you are ill, your body can become too hot or too cold and so it is vital that we know. There are lots of different kinds of thermometers. Your parents probably have one at home. We use ones that go in your ear or under your arm(like you see in the picture). It doesn't hurt and only takes a few seconds.
Oxygen
Oxygen is one of the gases that we breathe in everyday from the air. It helps give us energy. Sometimes to give you added energy we separate the oxygen from the other gases and give you pure oxygen to breath. This will help you breathe more easily.
Nebuliser
A nebuliser is a way of giving you medicines mixed with air or gas so they can get into your lungs to make you better. We give you a special see-through mask over your nose and mouth, or ask you to hold a tube in your mouth for a few minutes. You will feel like you have a gentle wind blowing into your lungs to make you better. Clink on the link to read more about
Neddy the Nebuliser. Plaster Casts 
If you have a broken bone you might need a special type of bandage called a plaster cast. This is put on to support and protect the bones until they mend. It is soft and wet when it is put on and then it sets hard when it dries. You can your friends to sign your plaster cast.
Medicine
Medicine come in lots of different forms. We might give you tablets to chew or swallow, syrups to drink, or we might put it in a bag to take though a drip, or mix it in air to take using a nebuliser.
"Magic" Cream/Magic Spray
Our "magic" cream is a white cream, which makes the skin on the back of your hand go numb. We can put it on your hand before you have a blood test or a cannula, so you don't feel it.
Name Band
A name band is a plastic strip you wear like a bracelet. It includes your name, date of birth, address and hospital number. All our patients are required to have at least one of these name bands.
Oxygen-Saturation Probe
This is used to measure your pulse (heart beat) and how much oxygen is in your blood. It looks like a small peg with a red light on it. We put it on your finger or toe. It doesn't hurt, and usually only takes a few seconds to do (although we might leave it on for longer if we want to observe it.) Some children stay with us to have it checked continuously overnight.
Monitor
This is like a computer screen with lots of coloured wiggly lines and numbers on it. It will show us your heart beat, and how many times a minute you breathe. The monitor reads this information from the sticky plasters on your chest. It will tell us what your oxygen saturation is (how much oxygen is in your blood); the reading is taken from your finger. It can also tell us what your blood pressure is; the reading is taken from the Velcro cuff that has been put on your arm or leg.
Intravenous Fluids/IV Fluids
V fluids are often called 'a drip'. A drip is a way of giving you medicine or water from a squashy bag. We can use this if you are not eating or drinking enough or need some medicine. The fluid runs through a machine.
X-Rays
These are special pictures of the inside of your body. For example, we can take x-rays of your bones or lungs. You won't feel anything while they are being taken but you have to stay still or the pictures will be blurred. In the X-Ray Department they do scans as well, have a look at the pictures and links below to see more.
X-Ray Scan
Click on the link to solve some really cool puzzles and learn about animals that use ultrasound!
Ultrasound
