Conversions and Medical Term

[ajkaiser09]

I am a new nursing student. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on ways to memorize conversions and terminology? It is so much information and I'm worried I won't know this in time.

[HT2SW]

Conversions you just have to memorize, med term, for the most part you can find a word or letter in the medical form that is related to an everyday word, hypernatremia, "hyper" is always more than "na" is the chem symbol for sodium, "emia" is an abnormal blood condition, hypernatremia is too much sodium in the serum blood level. Look at it as a puzzle and make it fun. Hypocaffeinemia is someones log in name on here, not enough coffee I suspect.

[Christine2009]

Write everything on 3x5 cards...put the word on the front, answer on back. For the conversions i also use 3x5 cards. I have a card that says:

1 Kg = 1000 g = 2.2 lb

1 g = 1000 mg

1 mg =1000 mcg

1 L = 500 mL = 16 fl oz = 1 lb, ect

I take my cards EVERYWHERE I go and keep reciting the conversions. I try to learn 5 new med terms everyday and then add them to what I already know. I am always studying wherever I am. Just today I was standing in line at the grocery store and pulled out my cards and started reciting my terms and conversions.

Repeation is the key in learning these words and conversions. I also utilize med terms in my notes. This is another way to utilize your memorization of learning the terminology which is always used in charting.

Best of luck to you and HTH