Dermatomes Memory Aid (Cervical and Thoracic)

I don't have a good mnemonic to remember every dermatome, but I have some memory tips to approximate the possible dermatomal level of some parts of the body. If you know the dermatomal level before and after the dermatome which is being asked, you will have a good guess of its level.

Here are my visual memory aids for some of the dermatomes.

C2 - base of the skull
T4 - nipple

C5 - tip of the shoulder
C6 - thumb
T10 - umbilicus

So if we are asked what the dermatomal level of xiphoid process is, we can deduce that it's between T4-T10 because we know that it's below the nipple (T4) and above the umbilicus T10. You can count from the nipple using two fingerbreadths to narrow down the approximation.

C6 - thumb

Using this hand position, count from the thumb to the little finger (C6--> C7 --> C8)

Axillary Artery Memory Aid (HelpHippo)

I highly recommend the mnemonic by HelpHippo in remembering the branches of the axillary artery. I used this mnemonic when I was cramming for anatomy. Hope this helps. :)

There are other memory aids from HelpHippo that you may find useful. Check their channel. :)

Naked RNA Memory Aid (Tagalog)

Sa PLE August 2015, hindi high-yield ang tanong na "which of the following is a single stranded chorlaNA, which one is naked chukchakNA? which one is enveloped?" et cetera, et cetera. Pero may mnemonic ako para matandaan ang naked RNA at mga dapat matandaan sa mga naked RNA. 

Nakapaskil sa pintuan ng kuwarto ko habang naghahanda sa boards

Naked = Hubad. 

"Hubad ang PUTS"

P - wet: Diarrhea. Most common cause of viral diarrhea in adults and in children - Norvo and Rota

U - tak: Aseptic meningitis. Three groups causing aseptic meningitis. Think of hand, foot and echo (Ang random ng echo, haha. Basta, echo!) 

• Coxsackie - HAND, foot and mouth disease
• Polio - FOOT (madalas nating makita sa lower extremity)
• Echo - ))))))

T - AE: Hep A and E are orofecal transmission, hence, TAE.

S - ipon. Rhinovirus. 

Medyo sabaw, pero maraming must-know ang nasasama sa mnemonic na 'to. Madaling lumabas sa boards ang mga diarrhea, aseptic meningitis, orofecally na transmission ng Hep. 

No'ng August 2015 na PLE, parang may naalala akong may nadaanan about aseptic meningitis. Sa boards kasi hindi nila directly tinatanong ang mga facts. Pamigay na 'yon kapag masyadong straight to the point. Ang style nila, dapat alam mo na 'yong mga facts. Tapos assuming na alam mo nga, magbibigay sila ng mga tanong -- p'wedeng situational, p'wedeng theoretical. Gusto nilang nag-iisip ang mga kumukuha ng boards. More of analysis ang exam kaysa recall. Pero hindi ibig sabihin walang recall. Mapapa-recall ka na lang habang nag-aanalyze, haha. Kailangang INTINDIHING mabuti ang mga konsepto. 

Kung may mali, comment na lang. Sana makatulong.