Taking Anatomy and Physiology I this summer, should I be so nervous?

lebronjames · Mar 23, 2010

i am also taking anatomy over the summer.

which school are you taking it at?

the way i see it, since its so quick, its easier to retain the information..

ajstegall · Mar 23, 2010

I am taking it at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, TN. Yeah, I could see how you could retain the information easier, but at the same time I could see it being VERY overwhelming.

Anoetos, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2010

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metal_m0nk, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2010

I go to a school that doesn't allow taking anatomy and physiology at the same time...So in order for some students (mostly nursing students) to get them both done in one semester, they split A&P up so that one is taken for the first 8 weeks of the semester, and the second is taken for the second 8 weeks. I finished anatomy the week before last (last week was spring break) and I've just started physiology. I'm taking two other classes for the full 16 weeks and I'm a full time mom.

We met once a week for 4 hours and had an exam covering two or more chapters (usually 3) at the beginning of class every time we met...Lab assignments due every week, weekly projects (like designing a brochure to describe in layman's terms why skin cancer happens, and how to prevent it), a journal of diseases to update every week, two lab practicals, and a final exam. All packed into 8 weeks. Half of the class that we'd originally started with dropped after the second week and half of those who stayed were failing the exams week after week. It was pretty hectic.

I found a great website that helped a lot with memorization and concept retention. Purposegames.com. You can create labeling games and multiple choice quizzes to test yourself. I was one of 4 (I think it was 4) who posted an A for the class. But I had a year of college chem and bio from my other degree, so that probably helps a lot.

Physiology is going to be equally hectic though, I can tell. This is technically our second week and we've been assigned 9 chapters to read, three clinical focus questions, 3 lab assignments, and we have our first exam this Saturday.

Sorry for the brain dump.

I need to turn the lights off in my head and go to sleep!

sch1109 · Mar 23, 2010

I've taken AP I an II back to back during summer (1st and 2nd session of summer) and it was really tough for me. I'm not sure what your situation is, but at that time I was working a full time job and the day before classes started I found out that I was six weeks pregnant!

Work would end at 5:00 and was right next door to the college so I would drive to school (class started at 6) and would be there until 9 or 10 at night. Despite the morning sickness that was aggravated by dissecting cats and sheep brains and the exhaustion from the pregnancy, I was still able to pull off a B+ in each class so if I could do it, you can too lol!

I would just take each free moment I had to study and even though I basically didn't have a life for two months and felt miserable, I would just tell myself over and over that it was only temporary and to look at the bigger picture. I would read the chapters during my lunch break and during the half hour before each class. We didn't have class on Friday so during the weekend I would just study, study study! On lab days we were given the option to go home as soon as we felt we understood the material or had practiced enough and even though it was REALLY tempting to go home early I would force myself to practice going over the bones over and over again and really try to understand everything in the dissections. It paid off because the same people that stayed late were always the ones that did the best on the the lab practicals. Oh also on the lab portion I used google images a lot to help reinforce what I was learning since it's kind of hard to study dissections at home!

Good Luck!

Anne36, LPN · Mar 23, 2010

When I hear of classes that last for 4 weeks, all I can think is that they must tell you exactly what you need to know for the exam, leave a lot of info out, or are for people who have already taken the class before.

Its hard for people to pull off an A in a standard program at my school. You would need to be able to memorize and understand everything you see the first time you see/or are exposed to it.

itsmejuli · Mar 24, 2010

I cannot possibly imagine learning and retaining anything from a 4 week course. I also can't see how they can cover all the material in that short of time. I took A&P I with lab over standard 16 weeks semester, that was enough of a challenge to get an A. Then I took A&P II with lab over the shortened 10 week summer semester. That class was very intense and required a lot of studying to make As in both lecture and lab.

4 weeks for A&P? Heck no.

metal_m0nk, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2010

When I hear of classes that last for 4 weeks, all I can think is that they must tell you exactly what you need to know for the exam, leave a lot of info out, or are for people who have already taken the class before.
Its hard for people to pull off an A in a standard program at my school. You would need to be able to memorize and understand everything you see the first time you see/or are exposed to it.

Or study 5 nights/week from 8pm to 2am. That's what I had to do with my 8 week course to maintain an A. Started studying right after my son went to bed. Weekend nights were reserved for catching up on sleep and/or catching up in other classes. No life, but it worked.

Seriously though, check out Purposegames.com. It's awesome!

The way I did the memorizing/labeling bit was I created games on Purposegames for all the structures I needed to know. Then I'd play the games I created until I had 100% three times in a row. Then I'd copy jpegs of the structures into Microsoft Paint and label the structures with letters and/or numbers. Then I'd sit down with a pad of paper and a pen and write down all the structures associated with the letters/numbers until I could do it from memory - making sure that I had a reference sheet to start out with where everything was right and spelled correctly. The conceptual stuff was easier for me because concepts are easier for me to grasp than just rote memorization, so I didn't have to spend as much time on that. Creating a few multiple choice quizzes for myself, answering them and checking my answers was enough for me to get through that part. But everyone is different.

caliotter3 · Mar 24, 2010

I took anatomy in a summer five week class and was able to do well mainly because the teacher was somewhat easy. Even she advised us on the first day of class that it was not going to be a cakewalk and it wasn't. You can do anything you set your mind to if you don't let distractions get in the way.

DMSEVO8 · Mar 24, 2010

A and P I is about good memorization. If you pay attention in class and you know all about the lab you should do fine. Summer courses tend to go little bit faster than Fall and Spring but, its manageable. I took A&P2 and Microbiology last summer, let me tell ya.. it wasn't that bad at all. Just pick a right professor for you and you should do fine. go to Ratemyprofessor.com to check the rating of the professor for your classes. Good luck and I wish you luck!!!

CharlieT · Mar 24, 2010

I took AP1 as a five week class. The best thing about it was that it only lasted five weeks. That means that you can take AP1 and AP2 in one semester. The worst thing about it was,... well... it only lasted five weeks. Lots of memorizing for the test in a few days, not much real learning done. I do not recommend it.