Hi there...I was thinking, as I was studying for NCLEX, how many mneumonics and other memory tricks we use. And I thought it would be good to have a thread where people could post what they use, and others could find them and use them. :)
I see there's a thread for acronyms, but I'm talking about mneumonics.
I don't know if these have been posted before, but I got a really helpful hint from my Neuro instructor last week. I always have trouble remembering decorticate and decerebrate posturing--which one is which, and which one is more serious--but I won't now!
DeCORticate--arms cross like the person is trying to protect their CORE (heart, lungs, etc.)
Decerebrate--d-E-c-E-r-E-brate, all those E's mean Extension of the arms.
For knowing which is more serious--"cer" kinda sounds like "ser" in "serious"...or think of cerebellum, which is lower in the brain/closer to brain stem and means the damage is worse.
I don't know if these have been posted before, but I got a really helpful hint from my Neuro instructor last week. I always have trouble remembering decorticate and decerebrate posturing--which one is which, and which one is more serious--but I won't now!
DeCORticate--arms cross like the person is trying to protect their CORE (heart, lungs, etc.)
Decerebrate--d-E-c-E-r-E-brate, all those E's mean Extension of the arms.
For knowing which is more serious--"cer" kinda sounds like "ser" in "serious"...or think of cerebellum, which is lower in the brain/closer to brain stem and means the damage is worse.[/quote
not until just now when i read your post, i was so mixed up with those two. but now it all make perfect sense... cos i could easily imagine the posture.. thanks alot for sharing!!!
you can also remember all people enjoy time magazine. whether they do or don't, lol, i don't care, but i can remember them in order!
here's some memory tricks for this, too, so you can pinpoint the exact placement (you'll need to know this at some point):
aortic and pulmonic (a&p) "go together" in that they are both in the 2nd intercostal space (a to the right, p to the left--always the patient's right and left--immediately next to sternum). two pieces, two spaces. also, if you're looking at an anterior picture, "a" is "before" and "p" is "after" (just like nursing abbreviations). look, you'll see :)
erb's point: erb has three letters; you can find this point in the third intercostal space. also just to the left of the sternum.
tricuspid: no trick on this one, just gonna have to remember it's in the 5th intercostal, just to the left. you can also remember that all these points are on the patient's left, with the exception of the "a". :)
mitral: remember it's that "no trick 5th", but the "mit" might remind you it is found in the "midclavicular" area of that space :) it's the only one not right next to the sternum.
there are other areas to listen to for other things, but these are the big ones on the teaching hit parade!
i have heard all people eat taco meat lol...
another one that everyone should know anyways for hyper and hypoglycemia is: not really a mnemonic but it rhymes!
teeniebert, LPN
563 Posts
I don't know if these have been posted before, but I got a really helpful hint from my Neuro instructor last week. I always have trouble remembering decorticate and decerebrate posturing--which one is which, and which one is more serious--but I won't now!
DeCORticate--arms cross like the person is trying to protect their CORE (heart, lungs, etc.)
Decerebrate--d-E-c-E-r-E-brate, all those E's mean Extension of the arms.
For knowing which is more serious--"cer" kinda sounds like "ser" in "serious"...or think of cerebellum, which is lower in the brain/closer to brain stem and means the damage is worse.