Use acronyms. Peruse the medical acronym list provided by Medline Plus, a service provided by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) website. By definition, acronyms are an invented combination of letters, with each letter acting as a cue to an idea you need to remember. Medical terminology includes numerous abbreviations and acronyms, so investing time to study them is wise. To encourage frequent practice, carry a set of medical acronym flashcards with you at all times or study on your iPhone through the following download: AbbStore-Lite -- Free Medical Abbreviations, Eponyms & Acronyms.
Use the chain technique. Create a story, song or poem where each word or idea you have to remember will cue the next idea you need to recall. Alternatively, there are websites for pre-chained medical terminology resources. Patient UK is a website that offers over 144 medical poems and stories. From "Pleurisy -- What a Pain" to "The ENT Doctor's Song," you'll have new terms memorized in not too long.
Use the acrostic technique. Invent a sentence where the first letter of each word is a cue to an idea you need to remember. Below is an example of an acrostic for heart valve auscultation sites. You can find this example and other medical acrostics on the UK Revise4Finals website. Identify the acrostics located on this page that are relevant to your needs. Then, add to the selected list with acrostics that you create.
To remember heart valve auscultation sites:
Mnemonic: All Patients Take Medications
Starting from top left:
Aortic -- 2nd intercostal space, right sternal edge
Pulmonary -- 2nd intercostal space, left sternal edge
Tricuspid -- 4th intercostal space, right sternal edge
Mitral -- 5th intercostal space, mid-clavicular line
Use the linkword system. Select the medical term for memorization. Next, choose a colloquial English word that sounds similar to the medical term. Then, imagine an image that involves the medical term with a colloquial English meaning of the medical term.
Following is an example of using the linkword technique with a medical term. The medical term could be "rhinoplasty," which acoustically sounds like "rhinoceros." "Rhinoplasty" means plastic surgery of the nose, so you could picture a person with a nose of a rhinoceros going to the plastic surgeon's office. This mental images cues you to recall that rhinoplasty means plastic surgery of the nose. This method creates cognition through linking an illogical association of the unfamiliar meaning to the familiar visual images.