Categories of Physicians' Orders

The following are seven different categories of physicians’ orders:

1. Medication

2. Miscellaneous

3. Activity

4. Dietary

5. Diagnostic

6. Treatment

7. Vital Signs

Study Tip: Create and use your own study mnemonics.  Mnemonics (pronounced nemonics, the m is silent) have been shown to improve student test scores.  

What is a mnemonic? A mnemonic is a memory tool to help learners recall information, especially in the form of lists, steps, stages, parts, etc.  Consider the list of categories above.  A good mnemonic for these 7 different categories could be "MMADDTV" (sounds like 'mad tv' - you can also visualize a TV screen with a mad face if you are a visual learner).  Then, if asked to list the 7 categories of doctor's orders on a test, you remember "mad tv", then the mnemonic MMADDTV, and then the seven categories associated with the mnemonic.  Recalling the seven different categories will help you to remember the information from each category.