Anatomy-What I need to Learn in School?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in ED.

:confused:

I have just started (as I've already said before) I am going into my second semester....... taking sociology and psychology,

I have a semester or 2 before I get to anatomy and physiology

AT home I have a few books (of my own) about anatomy and it's VERY OVER WHELMING!!:eek:

I want to know will we be learning ALL OF THAT? Do we learn a overall understanding of where all parts and bones and muscles are and what they are named? Or do we learn EVERY SINGLE bone and NAME? I am a perfectionist so I can trying to read ahead and get books BEFORE the classes start to maybe get a jump start. But I don't want to read TOO much and confuss myself.

Give me some pointers :rolleyes: or maybe some insight on what's in the future :p

Thanks so much for any replies. Prenurse:cool:

In my anatomy class we were expected to know every bone (not that difficult), every muscle (more confusing) and every nerve (worst part of all). Our instructor was tough on us and we had tests everyday! Once I got into the actual nursing classes I found out that they weren't as concerned about knowing the name of every muscle, nerves are a different story. That was just my college though, everyone is different. Maybe you can talk to the instructor of the anatomy class and find out if they're still going to be teaching that class when it's your time and if so, find out if you can get a syllabus from this semester to help you get a jump start when it's your turn. If I were you I would focus on the classes that you have now and worry about anatomy when you get to it. Hope this helped! Good luck and best wishes to you!

Go to the student nursing site. I posted one called "For anyone in A&P I & II" It lists at site that I used allot when I took those classes. It is from Hole's essentials of A&P, easy to understand, and includes chapter outlines, tests, and matching.

Good luck to you in school. It's great that you want to get ahead, but don't overwhelm yourself too much!!

I'm taking AP 50, which is not required, but I didn't want to drown in AP 25 which is a requirement. All I can say (it's only first week) is that it is fast paced & you need to study everyday so that it sinks in. I'm a little apprehensive about keeping up in class.:confused:

Specializes in ED.
Originally posted by essarge

Go to the student nursing site. I posted one called "For anyone in A&P I & II" It lists at site that I used allot when I took those classes. It is from Hole's essentials of A&P, easy to understand, and includes chapter outlines, tests, and matching.

Good luck to you in school. It's great that you want to get ahead, but don't overwhelm yourself too much!!

:p

Hello, Thanks so much! Will you please advise of the site you are talking about.....my email is [email protected]

Thanks!!:cool:

Originally posted by prenurse

:confused:

when i was still a student, anatomy is like an impossible subject to learn. i almost failed that subject because i wasn't taking it seriously. now i regret not doing that because i believe that anatomy is the heart of nursing. you've got to know every little thing that you have to in this subject because only then would you be able to trace what's keeping a person healthy or sick. that's pathophysiology! and you'll see that it will really pay off someday. just remember to study smart and make it fun because if you feel that you really are studying because you need to, it will overwhelms you big time. i know it easier said than done but you can try. remember that anything you do that's not giving you a fun time then it sucks so i dont want you to feel that way towards anatomy because it is really a fun subject. and it is very important for nurses especially when you get to work in the operating room.

I have just started (as I've already said before) I am going into my second semester....... taking sociology and psychology,

I have a semester or 2 before I get to anatomy and physiology

AT home I have a few books (of my own) about anatomy and it's VERY OVER WHELMING!!:eek:

I want to know will we be learning ALL OF THAT? Do we learn a overall understanding of where all parts and bones and muscles are and what they are named? Or do we learn EVERY SINGLE bone and NAME? I am a perfectionist so I can trying to read ahead and get books BEFORE the classes start to maybe get a jump start. But I don't want to read TOO much and confuss myself.

Give me some pointers :rolleyes: or maybe some insight on what's in the future :p

Thanks so much for any replies. Prenurse:cool:

;)

Prenurse, I'm not sure if this is the site that essarge is talking about, but it is a very good one. Go to the section marked Course Lifelines, and click on anatomy.

The Student Nurse's Forum

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Yes, I believe that you need to know it THOROUGHLY. I've been an RN for a very long time, and that A&P stuff is part of the foundation--ALL of the sciences are. In fact, all the pre-reqs are the foundation for what you will study and USE later. It's just like building a house--if you don't have a good foundation, the whole thing isn't very solid. I really do use that knowledge nearly every day, esp. when I describing something in my charting. In neonatology, and the other Critical Care areas, you can see the Physiology happening right before your eyes sometimes. Even something like testing urine--the specific gravity has something to do with that of water, which you should learn about in Chemistry; Arterial Blood Gas reports--the pH is actually a logarhythm(?sp).

I'd suggest the "coloring books"; start with the cell and the whole skeleton, and then "color" a page at a time. They have one for Anatomy and one for Physiology. Do the Anatomy 1st--you can get a used copy @ amazon.com. Learn the planes of the body, sagital, etc. Learn how to describe direction--is it medial or lateral, distal or proximal. All the "bumps" on the bones have names. Why? because of the muscles that attach to those spots. Which muscle attaches there? Is it the insertion or the origin? What does that muscle do? Compare the skull of an adult to the skull of an infant. Why and how is it different?

All of these foundation courses add depth and scholarship to your education. They make you a more thoughtful and professional nurse. Good Luck!!

Specializes in ER.

Make sure you don't try to do straight memorization. A little is inevitable but your will remember and understand more if you can think about what each part you name is used for and how it interacts with the parts beside it. A combined A&P book was my easiest route. Pathophysiology texts may make the memorization more interesting because you will be applying your knowledge.

http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/ap/holehaap/

http://mindquest.net/biology/anatomy-physiology/exams/exams-noninteractive.html

Here is the Hole's Anatomy page and also another page that I found invaluable...

A lot of it I put on index cards, one chapter or concept at a time.

Getting together in a group or twos helped a lot, too.

A little every day is better than a lot of cramming.

Hope it goes well for you.

Marla

Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

Get the anatomy coloring book--it was a great help. Learnning and relaxing all at the same time!

Good Luck!

Kelly:)

Put on your seatbelt, kid! You will learn all the bones, and muscles, (including insertions and origins,) and that's just the beginning! But take heart! We're all doing it (have done it) if we can do it, you can too! Start by making some friends in the bio department, nursing or pre-nursing students if possible. Ask for copies of course outlines or class notes. Ask which teachers they reccommend. (I keep a list of "good" and "avoid at all costs" teachers!) This can save you a lot of heartache! Contact the teacher(s) at the school you will go to, request lecture notes (they may have packets for each lecture they will cover). It makes sense to find out what will be covered first semester so you can start with that! (Our course is two semesters.) Plan on studying quite a bit outside of class. Make flashcards. Take advantage of your lab time to work with the models (since you can't take them home!) Work with others who have an A average (stick with the winners!) Don't get bogged down in a study group with unprepared free-loaders, you don't have time to pull dead weight with you. And last but not least...breathe!! We can make it!!

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