Ever try to keep track of the difference between dysphagia and dysphasia and aphagia and aphasia? Having trouble remembering where to put the ekg leads? Is your patient's rhythm a second degree, type I or a second degree type II?

Nursing school can be a pain in the butt. Once you think you've got something down, another subject is thrown at you. It's nearly impossible to keep track of everything as a nursing student.

You think you know your stuff, but have a hard time getting it out from your brain when it's needed. I feel your pain. I was in your shoes once and had the same problems in nursing school.

I found mnemonics to be a life-saver for exams, clinicals, and questioning from preceptors. Some of the memory tricks in this book are well-known, but most of them were made up over the years by yours truly. Mnemonics are not meant to teach you the information.

Rather, they are meant to jog your memory, which already holds the information somewhere deep inside. These are an aid, not an education. Inside, you'll find simple mnemonic devices that can be drawn from at a moment's notice.

The idea isn't to retain the entire book after reading it for the first time. Instead, use it as a guide in your journey through nursing school and beyond. Whenever you come to a nursing topic you need reinforcement on, see if there's something here that might be able to help you.

Even if you decide that the book isn't for you, visit us at www.kickassnursing.com. Check out the blog and the free cheat sheets when you have a chance. Good luck!