Help with Neurology

[CrimsonTideRN2B]

I am currently in nursing school and I am riding the line between passing and failing. This next test, I will need to make at least an 88. The nervous system has numerous diseases with similar manifestations and I am having a hard time keeping them straight. Does anyone have any mnemonics or any helpful hints to help with this topic? Any would be greatly appreciated.

[smf0903]

We just had our neuro exam, so this is pretty current for me! I told someone else on another post what has been my saving grace has been making concept maps. What's the disease? Risk factors? S/sx? Treatments? Nursing implications? A&P involved? With neuro, I found it best to study what differentiated one disease from another rather than what all they had in common. A lot of them have overlapping s/sx, but there's always at least one thing that sets disease A apart from disease B...that's what you want to know, or at least concentrate on.

Good luck on your studying and exam!!

Edited to add...I always find little silly ways to remember one thing from another..like Guillain-Barre I think of Gilligan's Island...Gilligan walked around the island...G-B's distinguisher is that it starts in the legs and ascends. Goofy stuff like that is what I need to do to help me remember :)

[CrimsonTideRN2B]

I tried the thing where you concentrate on what sets the disease apart from the rest and it came back to blow up in my face. I tried that for my cardiovascular test and my fluid/electrolytes test and both times I bombed on the test.

[smf0903]

Oh no! Well neuro is the only test I have done the "what sets A apart from B" and I really think neuro is probably one of the only systems that is actually helps with versus knowing everything about every disease. If that' not the route you want to go, then I'd do the concept maps (I adore concept maps LOL). Whatever you decide to do I wish you good luck and I hope you ace the exam!!

[CrimsonTideRN2B]

Thanks! I will definitely need all the luck that I can get.