A&PI What Pre-Reqs did you take?

Lovely_RN, MSN · Jul 19, 2006

You can take A&P1 w/o a previous background in biology and pass it just fine. I took 3 semesters of bio in undergrad and I feel that it doesn't really relate that much to A&P. Well maybe to one chapter in the beginning which is about the cell. Once we got past that it was all Greek to me. I had to learn all of the material from scratch just like my classmates who had never taken a bio class.

aHolisticStudent · Jul 19, 2006

You can take A&P1 w/o a previous background in biology and pass it just fine. ...I feel that it doesn't really relate that much to A&P.

I don't know how much I really agree with this statement. I'm sure you can make it through A&P without a previous background in biology, however, molecular and cellular biological concepts constantly come up in A&P. For example, ATP is central to much of the physiology in the system. In the muscular system the entire concept of active and passive transports, membrane potentials, brownian movements, etc. come up again and again. Furthermore, there are basic assumptions that are made throughout (at least it has been my experience in A&P) regarding fundamental biological principles at the cellular and molecular level that our A&P lecture and lab instructors just assume students both comprehend and are able to build upon with no review. Cellular respiration would be a fairly macro example of that point.

Like I said earlier, I'm sure it's possible to get through the class, but I don't agree that molecular and cellular biology don't really relate to A&P. I see them as being intimately connected in physiology.

texaschic888 · Jul 19, 2006

as long as you get a good a&p teacher you should do fine. i didnt take any bio classes before i took a&p n made a a in the class...and ive already completed all the other bio classes need for the program and i did very well....as long as you dedicate yourself and study you can do anything you put your mind too.... also, i found that if you make flash cards for like say the tissues *espeically different pics* and bones it helps a lot when studying! good luck!!!

casi, ASN, RN · Jul 19, 2006

If the class doesn't require gen. bio then I would assume that the instructors would explain things that overlap.

I took A&P1 that required gen. bio and the chapters that overlapped (cells & bio chem) the teacher went through quickly (think 5min chem lecture) and tested us on everything within that chapter as "We already knew it"

stpauligirl · Jul 19, 2006

I have taken Chemistry and not taken any biology and I can enroll in A&PI without biology. Has anyone else taken A&PI with little or no biology background? I am ready to start in September and am wondering if I am making a mistake and should take intro to biology instead? I have already been accepted into a nursing program and need a C+ in A&P to transfer to the nursing school. They suggest you take it a co-req. with the other nursing courses, but I am trying to lighten the course load.
TIA!

I didnt have a biology background when I took A&P 1 but I found it helpful that I had taken Chemistry prior....you will do just fine. Good luck.

arciedee · Jul 19, 2006

I had taken chemistry prior to A&P I, but I didn't find it necessary to have such an in-depth knowledge of chem in order to succeed in A&P. I also hadn't taken biology since high school. There were some general bio concepts, but at least for my class the high school background was sufficient. If your school does not have gen bio as a pre-req you should be just fine. Good luck to you.

BeccaznRN, RN · Jul 20, 2006

I was required to take biology as a prereq to A&P I and II. It was helpful for me because it had been about six years since I had biology in high school, but I think I would have been OK skipping biology.

DaughterofRuth · Jul 20, 2006

The AP sequence at my community college is so hard that the department developed an "Intro to Allied Health" class specifically geared towards preparing students for success in AP. They've achieved a direct correlation between how well you do in Intro and what you can expect to do in AP1 with the same level of work. Intro is a pre-req for AP1. Technically you can test out of it, but in the past several years no one has been able to pass the test.

I took Intro last semester and it was a challenging course. 1/2 the students dropped out before midterms. I had to work really hard for my A.

JoshuaC · Jul 20, 2006

I actually missed my chance to take A&P I and A&P II for nursing students while I was attending the University of Kentucky so I had to take Anatomy and Physiology as two separate classes. The pre-req was biology, but I didn't have the time because I had to get those two classes done by that semester to apply for nursing school the next year, so, I took them and did just fine without having the biology class.

I just ended up studying more. Usually everything you need to know for the class - even the basic biology you should know before hand - is found in the class textbook.

I'd just go for it and study enough to make sure I did good. You really don't need less than a B in those classes.

MIKelly · Jul 21, 2006

I am planning on taking anatomy this fall with no biology or chemistry beforehand. I'm only a little scared !

lisabeth · Jul 22, 2006

I did take 2 semesters of Biology, several years back, but no Chemistry at all. I did just fine in A&P 1. I had heard several people say you absolutely needed Chemistry, and that made me very nervous. I think some kind of science is needed in order to be successful, but if you need help, there are always tutors.