Tricks to remember things

[Holly27]

I thought it would be neat to help out students and others with things we each do to remember things. Like this:

H E P A R I N (7 letters) + 3 (PTT) = 10 fingers

C O U M A D I N (8 letters) + 2 (PT) = 10 fingers

or maybe

"C"at or "K"at- "C"oumadin antidote is Vit "K"

or things to remember the cranial nerves or what meds do what.

Lopressor- Lower pressure

Aurothioglucose(gold-50)- "Golden oldies" - Antiarthritic

Antabuse- I "abuse" alcohol- Alcohol deterrant

Ear Drops- Ad"u"lt is "U"p and back so infant is opposite Down and back

I have lots more but just have to find them. These and others helped out alot in nursing school and since I've started work. So please add yours! I know that some might only make sense to you. but please post them anyways. You never know, they might make sense to someone else!:roll

[chadash]

More! More!

[CyndieRN2007]

5 rights for medication administration = TRAMP(ED)

Right T R A M P

Time

Route

Amount

Medication

Patient

----------

Exp. Date

Documentation

[CyndieRN2007]

easy way to remember values. Remember the 35 and 45.. This might just work for only me!!

ph of blood 7.35 - 7.45

potassium 3.5 - 4.5

sodium 135 - 145

[kellyo, LPN]

I found this site in school: www.medicalmnemonics.com

[smoo]

Here's one for lab 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 0.5-1.2

BUN 10-20

PTT 60-70 or 1 1/2 times higher if on heparin

PT 11-12.5 or 2-3 1/2times higher if on coumadin

INR 2-3.5 for coumadin

WBC 5-10

RBC 5

HCT 40

Hgb 15

ph 7.35-7.45

Co2 35-45

On vacation I-

Ate 4 bananas with 5 glasses of milk, read 2 magazines about 2 fossils. Spent $140 on Napkins and $100 on Clear heels. 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 mild (ca found in milk), read 2 magazines (magnesium) about 2 fossils (phosphorus).

Spent $140 on Napkins (Na) and $100 on Clear heels (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).

[grace90, LPN, LVN]

I remember PTT goes with Heparin drips: Probably Takes Time (to get lab result) or Pain (in the neck) To Titrate

[jlong00]

3 Lead ECG...

I remembered early on as:

White on Right, Smoke over Fire.

[Rizpah]

I teach CNA class and use the following tricks for my students:

For ROM instead of using all the technical terms: flex / extend of the shoulder/arm - the "hallelujah"; abduction/adduction of shoulder/arm - the snow angel; rotation of the shoulder - the policeman; flex/extend of the bicep - the muscle man; pronation/supination of the forearm - soup and dump (holding a bowl of soup in the palm of hand and dumping it out); flex/extend of wrist - bye,bye; radial/ulnar deviation - queen's wave; rotation of the wrist - "dah, I don't know" (like a ditz swirling her hair on her fingers) - nothing special for the fingers. Then lower extremities - hip/knee flex/extend -riding a bicycle; abd/aduction - snow angel again; rotation of the hip (inversion/eversion)- "let's do the twist, like we did last summer."; flex/extend of the ankle - gas pedal; inversion/eversion of the ankle - "ow, I turned my ankle!" and nothing special for the toes.

To help them remember systolic / diastolic for blood pressures - sky over dirt.

Right eye vs left eye (OD / OS) I always think of putting medication in the right eye - if you put too much you "OD" the "Right" eye. The other one gets what's "left".

[MIA-RN1, RN]

ACE inhibitors:

A Cough Expected in April

(they make you cough and end with --pril)

[MrsMommaRN]

for remembering normal bun levels... take the bun out of the oven at 8:25 norms are 8-25

[johnwaynehair, BSN, RN]

I use "salt and pepper; lettuce and tomato, with a burger in the middle"

[kenchie21]

Putting ECG leads think of a flower plant

L1&2 red and yellow = flowers

L2 green = leaves

L4 brown = steam

L5 black = soil

L6 violet = the flowers died