Blogs

It can be extremely overwhelming when you’re trying to remember all of the information nursing school throws at you. At times, it may feel impossible to memorize the action, origin, and insertion of all the muscles in the human body, all signs and symptoms of hypo/hyperglycemia, or the adverse effects of Digoxin. The bottom line is that our brains need help remembering and memorizing these key topics when it comes to nursing. I’ve found that using memory aids and mnemonics helps me remember important information easier. Here are some of my favorites: 

1. When remembering key elements of a patient’s health history assessment I like to use SAMPLE:
   • S – Symptoms 
   • A - Allergies 
   • M – Medications 
   • P – Past Medical History  
   • L – Last Oral Intake 
   • E – Events leading up to illness or injury  
2. When I need to remember important emergency medications to lean on, I use LEAN: 
   • L – Lidocaine HCL 
   • E - Epinephrine 
   • A – Atropine Sulfate 
   • N – Naloxone (Narcan) 
3. When I need to remember the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia is use these: 
   • “Cold and clammy need some candy” – Hypoglycemia 
   • “High and dry, sugar high” – Hyperglycemia 

These are just a few examples of so many memory aids and mnemonics available to nursing students, and they are super helpful when it comes to exams! You can find these memory aids and mnemonics anywhere, but most of them I found in my Elsevier textbooks. If you’re having trouble remembering important information, you can even try coming up with your own memory aid or mnemonic device!