Opinion.....taking physiology before anatomy, but had anatomy 15 years ago, am I nuts

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative care.

It is harder to get into the Physiology class and I have a spot in summer school. I don't know if I can handle both Physiology and Anatomy over an 8 week summer course........so I would like to get Physio out the way and retake Anatomy in the fall (it has to be within the last 10 years). So am I nuts to try that? I did take Anatomy 15 years ago so I have some basis..........what do you think?

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I was told that physiology is the class recommended prior to anatomy and microbiology. It gives you the foundation for the other two.

I was told this after I signed up for anatomy first. :uhoh3:

I think you'll be fine.

steph

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It's doable. You may need to work alittle harder to understand things, but if you review the anatomy for the section of physiology you're on, you'll do fine. In fact you might even be a step ahead in your anatomy class.

Think postive and you'll have positive results

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I was told that physiology is the class recommended prior to anatomy and microbiology. It gives you the foundation for the other two.

I was told this after I signed up for anatomy first. :uhoh3:

I think you'll be fine.

steph

thats funny I would have thought it be the other way around, hard to understand how things work if you don't know where they are.

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thats funny I would have thought it be the other way around, hard to understand how things work if you don't know where they are.

The counselor and the anatomy prof recommended physiology first. Foundational concepts first and then the bigger picture (muscles and bones).

But whatever works . ..

steph

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I just finished phys on Monday!! yeah! I took Anatomy last fall and Physiology for spring semester (ours are seperated too)... I don't think I would have done very well taking physiology without having Anatomy first.

I think it's important to know where things are located prior to learning how they function. ((You learn so much about what happens in the cell and the membrane that I think it would help to have the histology fresh in your head prior to phys...))

But since you had it years ago... some of that might come back???? Good luck with whatever you decide... for me though, I did Anatomy first and I'm really glad I did.

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As long as your school doesn't REQUIRE it in a different order, it shouldn't be a problem. People ask questions like this all the time (micro before A&P, vice versa, when should chem fit in...) and it seems like every school "recommends" them in a different order, if at all. Every class seems to have a little review built in, since the textbook authors don't know what order you're taking them in. I just started NS, and have Patho and Pharm this summer - both of my textbooks review the physiology of each system before we cover drugs/diseases. You'll be fine.

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative care.

They require anatomy before physiology, but like I said, I have already taken it before so I can "legally" enter the class........I'm only retaking anatomy as they added the requirement (this year I might add) that it has to be within 10 years.

They use the same exact book for both the Physiology class and the Anatomy class. Hey, at least I'll only have to buy one book for 2 classes....with the price of texts that's a big deal.

Since so many people/colleges out there take Physiology first, it seems to be about equal on which one to do first that I'm not worried about it.........seems like either way can work.

Now I'm still trying to decide if I should do them BOTH during the 8-week summer course or not or if I'm setting myself up for GPA suicide.

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If it's the same book then you can just look up anything you need to refresh - but then maybe you might as well take both. It might be less work total to take them together then separately, as you'll probably (hopefully) cover the same systems at about the same times. It probably depends on your work/family situation too - can you really devote a few good hours every single day to studying on top of classes, or do you need to rush straight to work afterwards?

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Specializes in Oncology, Palliative care.

I don't work. I have 3 kids home for the summer, but they are older.......15 and 12 1/2 twins. The classes I'm signed up this summer are basically all day Tues and Thurs if I take both Anatomy and Physiology and Monday morning for Physiology. So I would be gone literally all day T/Th.....but I would have a 3 hour break inbetween classes on campus and I figure that would be a good time for me to study as I won't have anything else to do and I'll be there away from the distractions of home.

On another thread its split 50/50 on the people who think I'm crazy to take both classes during summer school at the same time.........so I'm not sure which way to go.

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On another thread its split 50/50 on the people who think I'm crazy to take both classes during summer school at the same time.........so I'm not sure which way to go.

How did this work out for you? Did you manage to pass both classes or did you drop one?

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I took A&P1 and then 2 and the A & P were combined. Like the poster above I think it would be hard to do the P before the A. In P we got into some pretty complex stuff (this valve does this and this vein carries this fluid to this artery). It would have been very confusing if I didn't already know where all the veins, arteries, valves, tissues etc were.

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