Memory Techniques for Med School #10 (Acronyms)
With acronyms, the first letters of the items in a list are put together to form a word. For instance, the acronym SCALP is used to remember the layers of the scalp.
Acronyms
With acronyms, the first letters of the items in a list are put together to form a word. For instance, the acronym SCALP is used to remember the layers of the scalp:
S = Skin
C = Connective tissue
A = Aponeurotic layer
L = Loose connective tissue
P = Pericranium
Related to the word-type acronym is one in which you remember a sentence in which the first letter of each word corresponds to an item on the list. For instance, to remember the carpal bones:
"Some Lovers Try Positions That They Cannot Handle"
S = Scaphoid
L = Lunate
T = Triquetrum
P = Pisiform
T = Trapezium
T = Trapezoid
C = Capitate
H = Hamate
These are effective mnemonics, since the letters all are nouns and refer to specific anatomical structures in the region. There is little else that the letters could refer to.
It is difficult to find good acronymns, however. In many, the letters are not necessarily nouns, and they could refer to so many things that they are hardly worth the effort to memorize, except perhaps for an exam the next day. They are quickly forgotten.
You can find many lists of acronyms by googling "medical mnemonics."
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