Share your mnemonics and tricks

"CATS" of "HYPOCALCEMIA"

C - Convulsions
A- Arrhythmias
T - Tetany
S - Spasms and stridor

Electrolytes normal values.
Na – Salt is expensive now a days, it costs 135-148 per kilo. (135-148 mEq/L)fficeffice" />>>
K – A banana cost 3.50 to 5.50 each (3.5-5.5 mEq/L)>>
Chloride – Since Chloride regulates BP, here it goes…>>
Chloride said his BP is 98/108 – ooops it should have been 108/98. (98-108 mEq/L)>>
HCO3 (bicarbonate) – Bicarbonate said ten years ago he was 22 now how old is he? 32. (22-32 mEq/L)>>
Ca – My bones started to become strong when I was about 8-10 years old. (8.5-10.3 mEq/L)>>
Mg – Magnesium is always exercising his muscles every 1 1/2 – 2 hours. (1.4-2.1 mEq)>>
HPO4 – Phosphate said after regulating acid base balance and calcium his salary increased to 2.5-4.5%. (2.5-4.5 mg/dl)>>

Electrolytes normal values.
Na – Salt is expensive now a days, it costs 135-148 per kilo. (135-148 mEq/L)

K – A banana cost 3.50 to 5.50 each (3.5-5.5 mEq/L)>>

Chloride – Since Chloride regulates BP, here it goes…>>
Chloride said his BP is 98/108 – ooops it should have been 108/98. (98-108 mEq/L)>>

HCO3 (bicarbonate) – Bicarbonate said ten years ago he was 22 now how old is he? 32. (22-32 mEq/L)>>

Ca – My bones started to become strong when I was about 8-10 years old. (8.5-10.3 mEq/L)>>

Mg – Magnesium is always exercising his muscles every 1 1/2 – 2 hours. (1.4-2.1 mEq)>>

HPO4 – Phosphate said after regulating acid base balance and calcium his salary increased to 2.5-4.5%. (2.5-4.5 mg/dl)>>

LOL2 (LOL squared)= hip fx, elderly female.

In other words- Little Old Lady Lying On Linoleum.

(Not a mnemonic, I know).

fat embolism shows up as respiratory distress and decreased level of consciouness heres a mnemonic for treatment
o i have a cd coming out
o- oxygen 40%
i- iv to flush out fat in blood stream
c- corticosteroids to decrease inflammation
d- diuretic to help put back fluid in the blood vessels
hope this helps

I'll never forget the names of the heart valves again. I just need to remember that: All Prostitutes Take Money.

Apical, Pulmonic, Tricuspid, Mitral.

7 Signs of cancer= CAUTION!

Change in bowel or bladder habits.
A sore that will not heal.
Unusual bleeding or discharge.
Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere.
Indigestion or difficulty swallowing.
Obvious change in a wart or mole.
Nagging cough or hoarseness.

ER nurses may know this one for broken bones -
BATS Fracture - Broke All To ****.
My favorite one is one I use in life also, learned this one while on Subs in the Navy as an ET in the Navigation Center -
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.
For those special patients -
PITA - Pain In The A$$.
When we could still use OS, OU, OD, etc, I had a hard time at first remembering left, right, and both. My study group in school was at AppleBees to study and as I poured my beer from the pitcher it foamed up. I looked at the student beside me and said that I had lots of SUDS. Then it hit me. -
SUD - Left-Both-Right. That was in 93 and I still remember it that way.

HAHAHAHA OMG When I was in NS school I came up with something VERY VERY similar

Oh
Oh
Oh
To
Touch
And
Feel
Very
Good
Vaginas
Ah
Ha

We were sitting there in Group study Anatomy 3 years ago almost 4 years ago, before a test and I whipped this puppy out of my brain with out hesistation, b/c we couldn't remember them for the life of us. Let me say that during the test when you had to name the cranial nerves you could hear each person laugh. And to this day 3 years later every time I name the cranial nerves I actually write this out on paper, and some of my old classmates e-mail me and tell me how at work they do the same as their fellow RN's look and think they are crazy or just perverted!!

For the 3 lead monitors we use in peds -
"white on the right, smoke over fire." (red above black on the left)
For the five leads, the white lead becomes "clouds over grass," the green lead. Brown goes in the hole in the middle.

I learned this in nursing school, when the teacher couldn't remember which way to screw something in. A student told her, "righty tighty, lefty loosy." Afterwards I taught my kids that.

We learned that if you come into ER with an MI, MONA meets you at the door with cookies: Morphine, Oxygen, Nitro and Aspirin. (The cookies just make it sound better.)