I am so frustrated with Anatomy & Physiology :(

[Jonahyona]

Hello everyone,

I am currently in Anatomy & Physiology 1. It is a prerequisite to the Nursing program here at my college. My current average is only a 71 (You need a 76 to pass). We get a TON of material to study and memorize (200 or so terms). Lecture is completely useless to what we do in the lab. I study for hours only to feel like I have learned nothing. We get quizzes during lab on things we need to self-teach ourselves. Honestly, I feel like the entire course is self-teaching. The professors are useless and you can tell that they really don't care. I have emailed them before and I get a vague, careless response from them.

I KNOW I am not the only one in my class who is failing. I feel like a majority of the class is. Anatomy & Physiology takes up so much of my time that all my other classes work gets put off. It has also simply made me depressed. I get so frustrated because no matter what I do I seem to barely pass/ fail the exams. I may just drop out of the program. I don't know what else I can do. I feel like I am in med-school sometimes. My school offers no study groups, extra help and even the A&P professors obviously don't care if most of their class fails or not.

I see my goal of ever becoming a nurse slowly floating away.

- A frustrated A&P student.

[Annachu512, BSN, RN]

A&P is not easy, many people in my class are hovering between C and F. I myself have a B but I think I just understand the material better. Keep at it and find a way of studying that works for you. Studying 5 hours a night doesn't work for everyone. A friend of mine in my class does that and has an F. She tries really hard but just is not studying the right way.

Don't give up and just explore studying options. Good luck!

[mofomeat]

Some time ago, a friend of mine from high school (leaving the military as a medic and transferring to a BSN civilian side) gave me the tip: "If you can take A&P and Micro each by themselves, do it." So I did. I'm taking A&P I this semester by itself, and while I feel like it is trying to climb an avalanche, I'm still grasping everything and maintaining a (so far) decent grade point average of around 95-96%. Granted, it's still early in the semester, but it feels like each week is getting just a tad easier.

Meanwhile, I read on this forum how A&P typically kicks everyone's ass and that the A&P/Microbiology onslaught is what shakes a lot of people out of the running. This class is work, a LOT of work, but it's not killing me. Sure it's a great feeling to know I'm keeping up, but at the same time, I feel it is *important* to be prepared for the actual program and (eventually) the career.

The class has 3 instructors, each one teaches a different lecture per week (A, B and C) and one of them (my favourite, actually) does the labs. Each lecture is done several times throughout the week, and they don't care which ones you attend, as long as you get at least one A, one B and one C per week plus the lab. (Is this normal?).

The first day, they stressed how difficult and time consuming this class is, and that on average half the people in the room are going to drop or fail within the first couple of months. But with the flexible schedule, I can't tell if anyone has left.

In this thread, people say "beware of the class where everyone gets As". I'm fully aware of that. But without another school's experience, how do I know that my A&P class is 'hard enough'?

[Thujone]

I recommend studying for two hours a day for that class. I would use all resources availble to me. Allnurses, google, your book, your professor, out of class study groups and try teaching the information to someone else or in the mirror if you don't have anyone to teach it to. I also recommend taking the VARK learning style test to see how you learn best, and then study accordingly!

Good luck,

Bruff

[jellybean321]

I completely understand how you're feeling. I'm in A&P 2 and it is incredibly hard. I literally just got home from taking a test on respiratory, lymphatic, and immune systems. Way too much material for me to think about at once. I'm having such a hard time myself and am finding it very hard to stay determined and motivated. Sometimes I drive home after lab or lecture and think to myself, "Am I really smart enough to be a Nurse? WHy don't I get this stuff?", but as hard as it is, you have to stay positive. Giving up is the easy way out, and while I'm not in your exact situation, I would not give up if this is something you really want. Thats how I know I need to stick it out...because no matter what I do, I can't give up, I can't stop. That feeling helped me realize that I need to do this, no matter what it takes. So hang in there, maybe try talking to an advisor or something that can steer you in the right direction. Keep telling yourself it will all be worth it in the end! Good luck to you!

[LittleLiz8235]

I was struggling with memorizing stuff in lab, too. Then a friend suggested that i make a list of all the terms and then find them on myself. IT WORKED! I have gotten full credit on almost all my quizzes since then. Also, take pictures of the models. put them in page protectors, get a dry erase marker, and label till the cows come home! I have found that flashcards work best for me when it comes to lecture notes. Dont give up! You can do it, i know you can :)

[lrobinson5]

I love mnemonic devices for memorization: Cranial Nerves-

On Occasion Our Trusty Truck Acts Funny. Very Good Vehicle AnyHow

Olfactory, Optic, Occulomotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abducens, Facial, Vestibulocochlear, Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, Accessory, Hypoglossal

There are tons of these out there. The hard part shouldn't be memorizing the bones or other things in the body. You just haven't found a way that works for you. It isn't the instructor's job to pass you; it's their job to ensure that you know the subject. If you feel the instructor is not teaching very clearly, then one thing you can do is take notes during your study and ask questions in class. This will make you more likely to retain the information, and it will also help the teacher see if they have any shortcomings (if they think they've addressed it already, etc).

Most importantly, however, is that you need to learn the subject, and that comes down to your particular learning style. If you look at the sheer volume of information you need to learn, there is no way that the teacher can cover 100% of it in class. They walk you through the general framework, and provide support on the details that you study on. To that point as well, break down the subject as much as possible. If you try and shove an entire hamburger in your mouth at once, there's no way you can eat it; take bites, and it's quite easy. Same thing with a class. If you try to learn EVERY SINGLE BONE in one night/week/session, you're going to cram it in and not retain it. Break it down, make it fun, find ways of studying it (bones of the hand; sally left the part to take cathy home--scaphoid lunate triquetrum pisiform trapezium trapezoid capitate hamate) that you can do anywhere, and you'll be done before you know it.

[Nickole1]

Jonahyona said:

I'm considering dropping out of the course depending on how my next lecture exam and practical go. I am barely scraping by with a C- and over 60% of the class is failing. I plan to transfer to a community college next semester so I can take A&P there instead. I got screwed over because my professor is awful. There is another A&P professor and all of his class gets A's and B's but not my class.

I feel like I could have written every single one of your posts. I'm in A&P I too. Over half my class is failing, and I have a 71%. I came home in tears after my last practical. I know someone else who is in one of the easier anatomy classes and it is pretty frustrating that in my class we have to work our butts off and still not pass and in other classes all they have to do is show up pretty much. But at the end of the day, I'm pretty sure I'll know the information well and as long as I pass I'll be better prepared for A&P II. One thing that helps me stick it out, and it sounds rediculous, is knowing that if I can just do well in this class and move on to 202, I won't have to buy a whole new textbook or lab guide. Whereas if I bomb the class and then give up on nursing, I'll have to take a different class in place of 202 next semester and shell out money for a whole different book.

I know it sounds weird, but I figure at this point I'll just roll with whatever keeps me motivated LOL. As far as studying goes... I'm making a 71 too so I must be doing something wrong. I'm going to try and utilize myaandp.com more, and I'm going to start using flash cards. Other than that I don't have a clue what to do I'm tired of leaving tests crying my eyes out though. Have you tried meeting with your professor? Mine said to meet with her and she'll go over our study habits with us and see what we are struggling with, and see if she can suggest any changes.

[NenaRK]

I am in the same boat! I'm in A&P 1 and it is the most frustrating class I've ever had. I used to think math was hard, HA! I understand the material, and I truly enjoy learning it, I think the human body is fascinating. It's the amount of material that is hard. I have tried various ways of studying, I take notes in class, I make and use flashcards, I read the text and highlight key points, I use masteringaandp.com, and I use an anatomy coloring book. The first test, I did horribly on. I got a 60 something on lecture and a 22 on lab!!! :bluecry1:

I studied more for the NEXT test, thinking I would FOR SURE get a B. Nope, got a C on both lab and lecture. WHATS WRONG WITH ME?

During school when I am not in class, I go to the study area and either read or make flashcards for about an hour. At home, I probably spend 2 hours a day reviewing material.

My boyfriend's mom is an RN and she said that she got an A in A&P and that she didn't even have to take the final. She told me that she didn't have all the "extras" to study like coloring books and online resources. She just read the text and highlighted, and read it over and over and over again. Granted, she was 27 when she started college and I'm 20 right now. I've heard age makes a big difference in college. Anyway, She said she would be glad to help me study whenever I want.

I'm not going to give up though, even if I make a C in the class, at least I know I tried

[Thujone]

Someone suggested a certain test to help me figure out how I learn best, so I am going to share this knowledge with y'all. I highly recommend taking the VARK questionnaire (http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire) , it guided me in the right direction, so maybe it will do y'all some good too.

[Butterfly0328]

I so totally know how you feel....I took A&P I twice before passing with a C+. And so far I have taken A&P II two times already and got a D+ both times. Granted spring semester this year I know why I didn't pass because my mother was in her last few months of battling cancer and passed away April 29th. I would spend weekends with her and intended to study at night etc but made the decision to spend every waking minute with her whether she was awake or not. With that being said, the class is freaking hard. Yes I have been very discouraged and have questioned my journey just like you may have. BUT... I won't give up. The silver lining here is that by the time I pass this class I should know the material very well. Hang in there. I would only imagine that this is only the tip of the iceberg and the beginning of sleepless, tear filled nights. From what I have read on this sight nursing school is way harder and a lot more stressful than these classes. I look at these classes like the initiation classes- if I am breaking under this stress completely and do not seem to be recovering emotionally then I will never make it in nursing school. I get upset, cry if I need to and dry my tears and push on. Don't give up!! God Bless!:heartbeat

[everwonder_y]

I second the suggestions to check out the Vark learning style. Very helpful. I have a good background in math and chem so I thought anatomy would be no big thing. Hah, got my ass handed to me! At my school anatomy and physiology are separate classes. I got a C- in anatomy and an A physiology. I had to retake anatomy and approached it totally different the second time around. IME, anatomy is not something you can just read the text and highlight.

Now I'm an anatomy lab assistant :)

My advice, try to utilize as many different pathways as possible to get the information into your memory and recall.

For example:

First path, read over your lab manual/text before going to lab/lecture. Second path, labeling diagrams and writing out terms in your lab manual/text, repeatedly. Third path, visual - really get in there and look at the cadavers/models. Fourth path, touch and feel the cadavers and models. Fifth path, verbally explain it all to a classmate. If you don't have buddy, explain it to your SO or your dog/cat, whatever. It works!

As an assistant I try to go around and ask students questions, get them to explain things to me, or have them trace blood or urine, etc. I've learned to love anatomy now, LOL. When you teach other people you learn more yourself, you find out what you don't know. Also, while adapting to the differing ways people grasp concepts, you discover new ways to look at things yourself.

Anyway, hang in there. I felt your pain and had to repeat, but eventually I conquered the material! Good Luck

[TheDreamJourney]

I used to feel that way too. My suggestion is to try and pass the class. If not take the course again with another professor. I hated my a&p I professor. She was a miserable old lady. I passed with a C and took a&p II with a different professor. And I got a B. He was a wonderful professor. I just got accepted into a nursing program so don't lose hope. Maybe your professor will curve the grade so that most won't fail. Stick it out and see what happens....