Remembering Lab Values!

[jellybeany]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to remember all these #s?? Ive never had to emeorize so many numbers before, I have no idea how to approach this. Ive got two weeks! We need to know all the blood gasses, every value in a CBC, plus like all of these ( I just randomly copied and pasted a section from my study guide below) - I am so overwhelmed ATM >

MCV Mean corpuscular volume

size of the RBCs

80 - 95 micrometers 3

MCH Mean corpuscular hemoglobin

weight of Hg

27-31 pg

MCHC Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

Hg concentration

32-36 g/dl

RDW - RBC Distribution width %

calculation of the variation in size of your RBCs

11-14.5%

Neutrophil segs 55 - 70%

made in 7-14 days, lives only 6 hours

primary defense against bacterial infection - phagocytosis. (kill & digest bacteria)

When stimulated, immature cells enter circulation, aka bands or stabs. When you see this, its called "a shift to the left", and indicates an ongoing bacterial infection.

Lymphocytes 20-40%

primary component of body's immune system. Divided into T & B cells

T cellular immune reactions

B humoral immunity (antibody production)

lymph's fight chronic (long time) bacterial and acute (short) viral infections

Monocytes 2-8%

phagocytic like neutrophils but are made quicker and stay in circulation longer

Eosinophil 1-4%

protect the body, engulf & kill bacteria and other microbes, like parasites.

Accumulate in excess #s as part of a reaction to antigenic stimulation such as allergy, cows milk intolerance, and gluten sensitivity.

Do NOT respond to bacterial or viral infections.

Basophil

ingest foreign particles. Produce heparin and histamine (induce inflammation), often associated with asthma and allergies. Related mast cells help provide mediators to initiate immune response.

Do NOT respond to bacterial or viral infections.

Blood smear

Usually only done if a routine blood test (CBC) is abnormal. Definitively evaluates immature & abnormal cells. Some can show which antibiotic is needed.

Platelet count

vital role in clotting. Decreased= risk for bleeding. Increased= iron deficiency or malignancy

Can be tested in fluids other than blood - urine, GI fluid etc.

150,000-400,000/microliter

Sodium (lyte) 136-145 meq/L

possibly critical if less than 160

help regulate amount of water in body. Sodium passage in and out of cells is necessary for many body functions, like transmitting electrical signals in brain & muscles. Low level could be cause of profuse sweating or diuretics (excessive water loss) Check I&O.

High level can be caused by diarrhea and vomiting. Can be critical.

Potassium 3.5-5 meq/L

regulates heart beat. Low potassium = muscle weakness.

Chloride 98 -106 meq/L

assists in acid/base balance

Bicarbonate 22-26 meq/L

keeps tissues from getting too much or too little acid. kidney/lungs help balance/regulate levels of bicarbonate.

BUN blood urea nitrogen 10-20 mg/dl

indicates kidney function status. Urea is a nitrogen containing waste left from protein break down. Failing kidneys cause urea build up. Also caused by dehydration and excess bleeding. Less fluid volume = more blood components.

Creatinine male 0.6- 1.2mg/dl female 0.5-1.1 mg/dl

used along with BUN test to assess kidney function. Levels too high = kidneys aren't excreting and filtering creatinine properly. Can also be raised by dehydration and muscle damage.

Glucose 70 - 110 mg/dll

glucose levels controlled by insulin and glucagon. Low levels indicate hypoglycemia. (Symptoms = sweating, shakes, dizzy)

PT Prothrombin time 11-12.5 seconds

common cause of prolonged PT= vitamin K deficiency, hormone drugs like hormone replacements, oral contraceptives, DIC (a clotting problem) liver disease, using anti coagulant drugs like warfarin. Can also be altered by eating lots of vit. K, liver, green tea, dark veggies, soybeans.

PTT partial thromblastin time 30-40 seconds

done to determine if heparin (blood thinning) therapy is effective. Should be drawn 30-60 minutes before heparin is given.

[njgrl622]

Wow!! Thanks for posting your study guide - it's AWESOME!!

I'm finding that making flashcards work for me. Trying to remember all these numbers is scary!

Good Luck!!!

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Most nurses use cheat sheets although some will stick with you after a while.......

Sorry......just plain memorization and repetition are about the only way.......

[mkatts19]

Here's an older posting for some of what you are trying to memorize (not everything though).. I take my NCLEX in a few days and was kind of lagging in committing the values in my head. Honestly with this, i memorized the middle values in about 2 minutes. It won't help everybody but it will help someone :)

Ate 4 bananas with 5 glasses of milk, read 2 magazines about 2 fossils.

Spent $140 on Napkins and a $100 on Clear heals.

Did 15 BUN exercises and drank 1 Creatine shake .

Met, 3 Idiots , 11 Pets and 65 Hunks

Ate 4 bananas (K+ found in bananas) with 5 glasses of milk (ca+ found in milk), read 2 magazines (magnesium) about 2 fossils (phosphorus).

Spent $140 on Napkins (Na+)and a $100 on Clear heals. (Cl)

Did 15 BUN exercises and drank 1 Creatine shake (Creatinine) .

Met, 3 Idiots (I for INR),

11 Pets ( P is for PT) and 65 Hunks. (H is for heparin's PTT

Values:

K+ 3.5 – 5

Ca+ 4.5.- 5

Mg 1.5-2.5

Phos 1.8-2.6

Na+ 135-145

Cl 95-105

Crt .5-1.2

BUN 10-20

PTT 60-70 or 1 ½ times higher if on Heparin

PT 11.0 - 12.5 or 2.o -3.5 times higher if on coumadin

INR 2.0-3.5 for coumadin

WBC 5-10

RBC 5

HCT 40

Hgb 15

pH 7.35-7.45 (40)

co2 35-35

Originally From: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/cute-way-remember-136453.html

[MrsMig, BSN, RN]

Here's an older posting for some of what you are trying to memorize (not everything though).. I take my NCLEX in a few days and was kind of lagging in committing the values in my head. Honestly with this, i memorized the middle values in about 2 minutes. It won't help everybody but it will help someone :)

Ate 4 bananas with 5 glasses of milk, read 2 magazines about 2 fossils.

Spent $140 on Napkins and a $100 on Clear heals.

Did 15 BUN exercises and drank 1 Creatine shake .

Met, 3 Idiots , 11 Pets and 65 Hunks

Ate 4 bananas (K+ found in bananas) with 5 glasses of milk (ca+ found in milk), read 2 magazines (magnesium) about 2 fossils (phosphorus).

Spent $140 on Napkins (Na+)and a $100 on Clear heals. (Cl)

Did 15 BUN exercises and drank 1 Creatine shake (Creatinine) .

Met, 3 Idiots (I for INR),

11 Pets ( P is for PT) and 65 Hunks. (H is for heparin's PTT

Values:

K+ 3.5 – 5

Ca+ 4.5.- 5

Mg 1.5-2.5

Phos 1.8-2.6

Na+ 135-145

Cl 95-105

Crt .5-1.2

BUN 10-20

PTT 60-70 or 1 ½ times higher if on Heparin

PT 11.0 - 12.5 or 2.o -3.5 times higher if on coumadin

INR 2.0-3.5 for coumadin

WBC 5-10

RBC 5

HCT 40

Hgb 15

pH 7.35-7.45 (40)

co2 35-35

Originally From: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/cute-way-remember-136453.html

Oh I like this!

I also agree w/other posters, repitition, repitition, repitition! lol

Also, be aware that lab values vary in small degrees and you won't always see the exact ranges everywhere so find out what your teachers want you to learn, not what you found on websites or in your book.

And lastly, when you are in the working field, you'll have this information at your finger tips. I don't know many nurses that know each and every one. They know what's specific to their line of work, kwim? And yes, they use cheatsheets like someone else mentioned - lol.

GL!

[Christal Parker, ADN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

To remember them for NCLEX I remember sitting at breakfast with my friend with flashcards. He took the cards from me and I told him couldn't for my life remember the numbers. We sat there for about 30 min and he made a story out of the names and numbers. Like the hematocrit store is having a sale 42-52% off for men 37-47% off for women for example. Or how many BUNs do you need me to bring to the party? 6-20. I still remember these and it's been 4 months hope that helps

[TJanastasa]

Thank You MKatts19!! This is exactly what I was looking for! I saw it here like 6 months ago and now I am preparing for NCLEX and didn't keep this list.... I memorized some of it, then forgot it... my fault... if you have time, learn it and relearn it and keep it up for test time! Now I have a few weeks and just spent 40 mins trying to find this list... it is awesome!! Thanks so much for reposting it! I am going to share with my friends testing too!!

[staceym]

Notecards and writing it over and over again was the only thing that did it for me. Good luck!

[IndyElmer]

I didn't have much luck with the previously posted mnemonic because it didn't create enough of a "picture" for me, but I liked the idea of having something that could help me peg each factor to at least one number that could then cue me to remember the actual range. Mine is a 2 part mnemonic. First the imagery (which will probably make a tad more sense after you hear the mnemonic.

IMAGERY

I stuck with the "vacation" theme and made my vacation in California where they have ocean, surfers, surfboards, sea birds, pot and happy cows. I pictured really BIG pot plants that were so big that a ton of surfers could "enjoy" just half of a "plant" and that they could provide shade for happy cows frolicking on the beach (with the surfers). Then, I had to fly home. Airplanes always have magazines and I like food and science magazines so there was one of each. On the food magazine, I picture the protein patties each with double buns and on the food magazine and on the science magazine, there's a fossilized, pregnant dinosaur with three fossilized young (so 3.5 "babies" for this creature).

MNEMONIC

While on vacation in California, I met 140 salty surfers sharing 100 bleached boards and 4.5 pot plants (they smoked half of one) protected by 4 albatroses and sheltering 5 (happy) milk cows and a 2-headed radioactive cow (apparently they are VERY big pot plants if they are sheltering cows and just half of one can satisfy 140 surfers).

On the plane home, I saw 2 magazine covers -(cooking and science, of course!) One cover featuring 15 BUNS and 7 PROTEIN patties (I guess they're making double-bunned burgers) and the other about dinosaurs with 1 (pregnant?) creature with 3.5 fossilized babies (3 born, 0.5 = pregnant??)

Keep in mind that each reference/lab lists slightly different ranges. These are from Prentice Hall Reviews & Rationales text on Fluids, Electrolytes and Acid-Base Balance. The greater than (>) sign is an arrow showing the thought process to get from the mnemonic term to the factor being tested/evaluated/reported.

140 salty surfers > salty > sodium: 135-145 mEq/L

100 bleached boards > bleach > Clorox bleach > chloride: 95-105 mEq/L

4.5 pot plants > pot... > potassium: 3.5-5.3 mEq/L

4 albatrosses > alb... > albumin: 3.5-5 g/dL

5 milk cows > milk > calcium (this it TOTAL calcium since the next one is ionized calcium): 4.5-5.5 mEq/L (also 9-11 mg/dL)

2-headed cow > two heads due to ionizing radiation, cow is still milk > ionized calcium: 2.2-2.5 mEq/L (also 4.4-5 mg/dL)

Magazine > mag... > magnesium: 1.5-2.5 mEq/L (also 1.8-3.0 mg/dL)

Buns > BUN (blood urea nitrogen): 5-25 mg/dL

Protein patties > Protein (total): 6-8 g/dL

Creature > crea... > creatinine: 0.5-1.5 mg/dL

Fossil > foss... > phos... > phosphorus: 2.5-4.5 mg/dL

Obviously this is still missing some other things that can be measured, including osmolarity, bicarbonate, pCO2, pO2, saO2, pH, etc. But it's a pretty good start on giving myself SOMETHING if I'm blanking. (Not including osmolarity, I group those others all under ABG in my brain, even though the range for venous bicarbonate is different from the range for arterial, it's close enough for me to remember it.)

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

i found it helpful to remember ranges. when students didn't remember whether intracellular na+ or k+ was higher, i used to say, "serum sodium: big number or little number? serum potassium: big number or little number?" somehow that was helpful.

also: ph is 7.35-.45, sodium is 135-145, arterial co2 35-45, hct 35-45...nice symmetry there. sometimes it helps to put things in groups even if it doesn't make sense otherwise.

[IndyElmer]

I agree that knowing the ranges will be important. I use the mnemonic to help me remember whether I should be thinking of a range around 100, 20, 5 or whatever, but I do actually know the ranges too.

For me, rote memorization doesn't last as long as vivid picture mnemonics. (Even after a decade of being away from any sort of anatomy discussions, when I returned to school last year, I still remembered the dirty mnemonics for cranial nerves and bones of the wrist, LOL!)