Tricks for learning Lab norms?

Bala Shark · Jun 1, 2006

Hemoglobin, that is in the teens, 14-18...Glo means young, like the teenful glow = hemoglobin

Hemotocrit (spelling), means old, so it is 35-40

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Jun 1, 2006

Unfortunately, I don't have any tricks for that. I guess I just learned them the old-fashioned way. It won't help you on tests if you're a student, but you might consider investing in one of those pocket guides for nurses that are available at medical bookstores. Some people even make their own, with laminated index cards, a hole punch, and a ring.

Imafloat, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2006

Learn one a day. That is how I did it. It makes it really easy.

rnsrgr8t · Jun 1, 2006

Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards is how I remembered them. I used to keep them in my purse and when I had downtime, waiting in lines etc, I would pull them out and go through them.

sunny59 · Jun 2, 2006

I made up stupid statements that helped me remember them. Our school uses their own values which we had to know. So I would remember - I ate 3, 5 1/2 inch bananas - for potassium 3 - 5.5. The pool was 100 feet long, give or take 5 - cl; 95-105. Buns 5 for a quarter, BUN 5 - 25. And so on, I shared with a friend and she said they really helped her remember them also - so try making up some sentences relating to things you know to help remember them.

Sunny

nursemommyof3 · Jun 2, 2006

I copied this from another thread:

K+ 3.5 â€“ 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 Â½ 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

On vacation I -

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

twinpumpkin · Jun 3, 2006

Interesting! I'll have to try some of these tips.

Twinpumpkin

decartes · Jun 3, 2006

Different texts have different #'s. Whatever is the standard for your school, make a table or a copy of teh values on a sheet of paper and leave it in your car. At every red stop light, look over 2-3 values until they're stuck in your head.

It worked for me.

RN_Jen · Jun 3, 2006

Here are a few that helped me:

Na = # of grains of salt on a pretzel = 135-145

K = # of bananas that usually turn brown on the counter = 3.5-5

Cl = temperature when you really want to go swimming = 95-105

Ca = age when kids break bones = 9-10.5

I know some of these are a stretch, but I've never forgotten them.

shock-me-sane · Jun 4, 2006

well, for electrolytes, I put them in alphabetical order...

Calcium: 8.5-10.5

Chloride: 96-106

-----start new sequence of lowest to highest---

Magnesium: 1.5-2.5

Phosphorus: 2.5-4.5

Potassium: 3.5-5.5

Sodium: 135-145

it's sorta weird, but i like putting things in order.

Koniferous · Aug 28, 2008

I don't have my lab results book handy but I'm fairly sure that there is a mistake in studentnursemommyof3's post with the mnemonic device. The norm for Ca+ is around 9.5-10.5 so the mnemonic should be "Ate 4 bananas with 10 glasses of milk, read 2 magazines about 2 fossils..." It is a good tool though, I used it when I was relearning labs for the NCLEX. While it doesn't give ranges at least it helps you remember the mean.