Why Do Doctors Say ‘Stat?’
Doctors and nurses say that when they need something immediately. It’s the short form of the Latin word, “statim” and means “quick” or “right now” or something like that.
For example: “I need to get this patient into the ER stat!”
Doctors will say it when they are in a hurry or when something needs to get done right away. People’s lives depend on quick action in the emergency room, so shortening the word puts emphasis on it and people work faster.
So “stat” is short for the Latin word, “statim.” Now you know!
And here’s a pretty funny video about doctor lingo – if you need a little laugh:
