Dustdevil Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 So Dust- We have heard that pnemonics are useless... Read much? :roll: Anyhow, Lisa, this thread was not about mnemonics, and I apologise for it becoming sidetracked on that minor point. I did not intend it too. I only intended to simply say not to get too hung up on memorisation, whether it be mnemonics or anything else. Practice is a working theory, not a checklist. You can memorise all the mnemonics, vocabulary words, NR checksheets, and everything else in EMT school, but if you cannot assimilate that information in your head into a coherent plan, you're wasting your time. So make sure that you are actually learning to use and understand that information, not just recite it. To your credit, you are already doing exactly what I would recommend, which is to put extra effort into studying and learning the material. This thread was you doing just that, and I applaud that. Keep it up. I didn't mean to discourage that. Just giving you some perspective that -- if you take it -- will be helpful to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaO925 Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 Read much? :roll: Anyhow, Lisa, this thread was not about mnemonics, and I apologize for it becoming sidetracked on that minor point. I did not intend it too. I only intended to simply say not to get too hung up on memorization, whether it be mnemonics or anything else. Practice is a working theory, not a checklist. You can memorise all the mnemonics, vocabulary words, NR checksheets, and everything else in EMT school, but if you cannot assimilate that information in your head into a coherent plan, you're wasting your time. So make sure that you are actually learning to use and understand that information, not just recite it. To your credit, you are already doing exactly what I would recommend, which is to put extra effort into studying and learning the material. This thread was you doing just that, and I applaud that. Keep it up. I didn't mean to discourage that. Just giving you some perspective that -- if you take it -- will be helpful to you. Thank you very much for your post Dust, you have put a big ole smile on my face. I would like to think / hope that when the time comes, and I am out in the field, the mnemonics will help guide and keep me in the area I need to be. It does help me learn to find the pieces, in an attempt to get the puzzle together to help the Pt. With how much I cram them into my little head, I know I will never totally forget them. But I can use them as a generic / gereralized fall back in the moments of brian farts (I hope those are not all too often) To semi stay on topic, we have learned yet another mnemonic (I can hear the groans now ) for AMS/ALOC. Now, I am just dying to know if anyone actually uses this at all? AEIOUTIPS Alcohol Epilepsy Insulin Overdose Underdose/Uremia Trauma/Thermal Infection/Injection Poison / Psych. Shock/Stroke And I have about a solid hand written sheet of paper full of questions and things I am to assess/scan for in regards to all of those. Sooooooo, does anyone have that, heard of it, use it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akflightmedic Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yes, that one is an old one. I have used it and taught it. It is great for test taking purposes. In the field, I can say I have never used it for treatment or diagnosis purposes. While we are at it, let me give you another one I have posted before. Its been a few years but there are fresh crops here so we will rehash it. Take this one back to your instructor. How to remember the different types of shock. SHRIMP CAN Septic Hypovolemic Respiratory Insulin Metabolic Psychogenic Cardiogenic Anaphylactic Neurogenic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPINFV Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I've heard of AEIOUTIPS, but never used it. The only one that I have ever really used was OPQRST, but that became second nature rather quickly anyways. My pet peeve mnemonic is DCAPBTLS. If you need an aid for things to look for on a trauma, then your assessment really needs work [because, you know, you're just going to note a puncture or bleeding, or deformity]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaO925 Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yes, that one is an old one. I have used it and taught it. It is great for test taking purposes. In the field, I can say I have never used it for treatment or diagnosis purposes. While we are at it, let me give you another one I have posted before. Its been a few years but there are fresh crops here so we will rehash it. Take this one back to your instructor. How to remember the different types of shock. SHRIMP CAN Septic Hypovolemic Respiratory Insulin Metabolic Psychogenic Cardiogenic Anaphylactic Neurogenic Beautiful!!! I am so going to use that! Thank you thank you. 8) We will be learning about shock after midterms in two weeks! We have lab and vitals midterm next week, and a written midterm the week after. I forgot to add above that we also are using the Cincinnati Stroke Scale as well. I have no idea why this assessment, mnemonic, chapter is the easiest for me? The few repeaters from last semesters class (If you don't have atleast an 86% after midterms in the class they sit you down and ask you to drop, and to take it again next semester. I guess in their eyes you are too far behind and will not be able to catch up) who say this is where they started to choke. But I picked it up pretty fast. So, then I started to worry about the shocks, and trying to remember all of them. But now, you have given me the SHRIMP CAN, and that makes me feel so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccmedoc Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 How to remember the different types of shock. SHRIMP CAN Septic Hypovolemic Respiratory Insulin Metabolic Psychogenic Cardiogenic Anaphylactic Neurogenic What about CHAMPS RN...thats MY favorite.... I would put insulin shock with metabolic. AEIOUTIPS is a good one, you should remember that one and when to use it. Soon it will become second nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaO925 Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 . Take this one back to your instructor. How to remember the different types of shock. SHRIMP CAN Septic Hypovolemic Respiratory Insulin Metabolic Psychogenic Cardiogenic Anaphylactic Neurogenic Actually, I am going to see if they teach it to me. The evil part of me wants to see where they are about that, and well, mostly I am just curious. I will teach it to my group and decide after (If they don't mention it) if I want to bring it up in lecture and share it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmeaner Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Wow, in a strange turn of events the thread is back on topic. Lisa, I have an employee who just started the basic class a month ago. I'll let her know. Which book are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 See, the SHRIMP CAN mnemonic is one I would classify as useful and worth remembering. The ones I roll my eyes at, like DCAPBTLS and SAMPLE, only lead you to more questions instead of answers. They give you something to write on your report, but don't really assist you in reaching an overall assessment. It's just memorisation of words for words sake. SHRIMP CAN leads you directly to a working diagnosis! SHRIMP CAN is used after your assessment of shock, in order to narrow it down to a specific cause, so you can start to work treating it properly. There is a tangible benefit to using SHRIMP CAN to assess your patient. It gives you information you can use. DCAPBTLS gives you nothing that you wouldn't have seen with your eyes anyhow. It's useful only in written scenarios, not in real practice. That was really my point. Mnemonics are seductive for the same reason that all short-cuts are seductive. They make you feel like you are getting something of value easily. But not all mnemonics are created equal. In fact, few of them are very useful in practice. So just don't let them seduce you away from the meatier points of medicine with their simplicity. I can think of only one mnemonic in thirty years that has been particularly helpful to me, and that was to memorise the 12 cranial nerves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaramedic Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I can think of only one mnemonic in thirty years that has been particularly helpful to me, and that was to memorise the 12 cranial nerves. Oh, Oh, Oh, To Touch and Feel a Very Giant Vagina and Hooters? Or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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