Endocrine System Problems

the best way i learnt that system way back when was to make questions and answers for every endocrine subject.

two different notebooks.

the first notebook had the questions and for the answers had on the first letter of each word, and then underscores for each of the other letters of the word.

the second notebook had the complete answers.

in this way, you ACTIVELY recall the answers, making very good memory traces for recall.

alternatively, you get yourself 4 different nclex review books, and you memorize the answers to all the questions, in addition to studying your class notes, using the SAME method i described.

but you must use spaced repetition

so, first you practice each one by WRITING the answer. Do this for 10 questions.

Then, immediately, review the one notebook and try to recall the complete answer.

Now go do the next 10 questions.

but within 10 minutes you MUST go actively recall the first 10

now complete the second 10, and in 60 minutes go actively recall the first 10, and now repeat step1 for the next 10

get a piece of paper and use roman numerals for each review so you dont lose track of what questions you reviewed.

upon awaking the very next day, you MUST actively recall all the answers to the questions you reviewed the night before.

do this again in 3days

do this again in 7days

if you forget one, do NOT count it as a review with a roman numeral, and review that question the next day

do this again in 10days if u didnt already have the test.

do this again in 30days if u want longer term recall.

a similar method enabled me to graduate with great distinction, vale dictorian of my nursing class january 1991, highest gpa

It has served me well in critical care, enabling me to become a very knowledgeable nurse in that area (but i forgot my basic nursing and sciences)

I am of average intelligence only, IQ average 105

spaced repetition and perseverance can make you seem more intelligent than you are, as the information becomes 'crystallized' into long term memory at a higher percentage.

good luck

mnemonics work to a degree but they work best if you make up your own.

break the word down into parts, and the parts need to be visual words--this is not so easy.

our visual memory is superb, and this is why if we go to a friend's home, we rarely forget how to go there again, assuming we are driving and actively paying attention.

if you can make the 'associations' visual by breaking up the words and using association with concrete, visual words, you will remember large amounts of information at a faster rate.

but the process is not so straightforward for many, but perhaps easy for the 'bipolar' or cyclothymic person who is prone to 'loose associations'

if u must learn a system, dominic o'brien has one wherein it comes with a book etc, not just the audio cds......

but again, learning these systems themselves are tedious.

but a system like that, perhaps based on a peg system of numbers, say 1-100, allows you to say, 'peg' information onto each visual peg, so learning the skeletal system from the head to the toe, may allow you to learn 100 bones at a faster rate for review--it basically falsely expands your working memory--then you can be walking to class, going thru the 100 items over and over, wherein normally we can only work with 7 items at a time for active recall

i have been superficially studying memory improvement since 1993, but i have never adapted and implemented a complete system.

I could remember 30digit numbers almost instantaneously with this kind of system, but it isnt true cognitive enhancement and has limited implementation, IMO

thus my recommendation of the two ideas.

do the active recall method with the two notebooks, and supplement that by learning perhaps 25 peg words for 25 numbers, and use that system (so you could say peg one to each of the 12 cranial nerves), but make up your OWN visual, concrete associations by breaking up the word into smaller parts and using substitution for the pictures.......this enables you to expand your working memory 'artificially' so you can reheorifice the information at a faster rate than your inherent 3-7 item limitation that most of us have been 'gifted' with

The endocrine system is not as difficult as one may think. You have an organ/tissue, it secretes hormone(s), you have such and such s/sx if too much hormone is excreted and you have such and such s/sx when too little is excreted. It's truly as simple as that. The treatment is to return levels back to normal. Don't underestimate hormones, they are the go-juice of the body.

What may help you is to write down each tissue you are studying and under each write down which hormones are secreted and it's functions. This will help you separate and distinguish instead of everything running together. Good luck and keep it simple.

I love the endocrine system and found it to be the easiest for me. Muscles is what got to me.

Like the previous poster said list the hormone produced and maybe have a column of what happens when there is too much ie too much insulin = hypoglycemia or too little = hyperglycemia. Then write the solution of how to fix each problem...hypoglycemia = juice, sugar, hyperglycemia = usually a dose of insulin.

The system really is basic when you break it down because it is just cause and effect coupled with solutions that are usually the opposite of eachother.

Maybe make note cards with the hormone on the front and list the things that happen on the back. Fortunately for me when I made notecards the actual act of writing it down would 95% of the time committ it to my memory so I never really needed the damn cards after that, however I spent my two semesters through anatomy and phys probably making 2000 notecards that I never looked at more than once. I should have sold the damn things :)

Good luck and dont psych yourself out!

Thanks so much everyone. All of your suggestions are great and I plan on using them to help me study for my next test. Now that I'm reading the material it's making a little more sense to me. I'm definitely going to make some note cards to help too. :)

i'm not your typical flashcard junkie by any means...in fact, i truly think they are not as beneficial as other studying methods. however, when it came to the endocrine system...its the only way i was able to memorize the endocrine system. i would throw my flashcards into my bag/purse and whip them out whenever i had some down time throughout the day. it definitely helped me memorize everything. also, the most effective method of learning something new is elaborative rehearsal, meaning find a creative way to remember that information. just stick to the best way that helps you learn and understand the material and you'll do just fine! :)

Here is a set of notes I use when lecturing on this system. Let me know if it makes sense.

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Here is a set of notes I use when lecturing on this system. Let me know if it makes sense.

Yes! Thanks so much. I will definitely use this.