Create rules when you can’t remember everything

We all know it is impossible to know everything. Even when you are studying for an exam it is still hard to remember the specifics of whatever you are learning.

What I found helps me is to create rules around things that can have serious implications if I don’t remember them. The rules are there to trigger me to stop, think twice, or look up something as I know I am missing something.

I find rules simpler and easier to remember, especially if I link them with imagery or a case.

For example…

An example of a rule is: “Don’t give cats dog doses of furosemide.” I used this rule for years while in general practice, as I rarely treated a cat in congestive heart failure. This prompted me to go to look up the dose, rather than give a dog dose of furosemide.

Another rule I had was “sodium abnormalities are best corrected slowly”. This was because it is safer to treat it that way rather than to determine the time frame over which the abnormality occurred, which is often hard to determine.

About rules

What is the difference between a “rule” and remembering the specifics…

• Rules are simple: “Don’t give cats dog doses of furosemide“ is easier to remember than the actual doses themselves.
• Rules are easier to remember: the rule does not contain specific or detailed information, therefore it takes the pressure off you trying to remember everything.
• Rules improve safety – especially if the rule is there to prevent a detrimental outcome from occurring.
• Rules are good for teams: your entire team can remember them and it does not rely on a detailed understanding of why (although it does help if everyone understands why, they will over time as it is triggered). The rule is applicable to all team members – from inexperienced vets to nurses or technicians, and even experienced vets. They can all look at a patient with a hyponatraemia and remember that slow correction is safer than rapid correction. That will prompt them to stop, think, and ask if the sodium is being corrected slowly.
• Rules trigger learning through repetition: the more often you are triggered to look something up or explain the rule, the faster you start to remember the specifics.

So, go create some rules around something that is important for everyone to know, but they all struggle to remember.