What do you do in lab for A&P?

little1rn10 · Jul 25, 2012

A&P Lab is the "hands on" part of the class. Lab is the place to look at slides on the microscope, dissections, activities that corresponds with the lectures, i.e., Hematology lecture, Lab: finding your blood type, and lab reports.

I do recall that I had exams for the lecture and the lab sections.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Jul 25, 2012

We dissected a rat in the first lab to identify body cavities and organs; saw different tissue types under the microscope; looked at bones of the human body etc. These basically reinforce what we learned in lectures. Our lab homework (from the lab manual) are straight forward. There's no "experiments" per se like I had in Chem. Chem's lab was harder I think...but also a lot of fun. Labs are always more fun than lectures.

There are quizzes and exams in the labs, but the questions from labs are pretty much the same (fewer questions and I think easier) as the class quizzes. If you do fine in the class, the lab quizzes should be a breeze.

phuretrotr · Jul 25, 2012

I liked A&P wayyy better than Chemistry... In my A&P lab, it was more anatomy, than anything I thought. We had cadavers, pig lungs, cow eyes, human organs such as heart, brain, and liver. You look at the kidneys too. Our instructor took us through the whole kidney process and tubules, by cutting a kidney in half. We hooked up a compressor bag to the pig lungs and saw how the lungs expand and contract. We had three lab practicals/tests and many of them had different slides (muscles, blood cells, bone, ect.), various models that we had to pick the letter which corresponded with what we were seeing, and had to name what a pin was located in, inside actual organs. It seems like a great deal but you go in sections just like lecture, so one lab test would only be over the nervous system and the vascular system. If you are better at learning by seeing and touching, I think you will do well.

Anne36, LPN · Jul 25, 2012

A lot of people at my school found Lab exams much harder than lecture. You need to be very thourough when studying your Models. I got to the point where I eventually brought my video recorder in so that I could go over the models again at home before an exam. We did not have open lab hours. The only chance we got to see models was during class. Dont underestimate the lab portion of the class, it can end up being a big part of your grade.

Stephalump · Jul 25, 2012

We looked at slides and dissected a cat. We used the slides and cat to get a real view of the things we were studying in class. For instance, when we learned about muscles, we had to be able to identify the type of muscle by seeing it on a slide and identify the name of a muscle tagged on the dissected cat.

Totally different than a Chemistry lab.

leenak · Jul 25, 2012

The first 30 to 45 minutes will most likely be demo of what you will be doing. Then the rest of the time, you do what is assigned and ask questions as needed. I often left lab early in AP1 (taking AP2 in the fall). Some people stay the entire lab period, many do not. Overall it is a lot of memorization compared to chemistry which was a lot of documentation of observances.

backinschoolmama · Jul 25, 2012

Where I go to school anatomy and physio are taken seprately. Our anatomy lab was long too, we did so much! Looked at things under the microscope, looked at bones and models, built muscles out of clay and attached them on a skeleton model, disected cats, sheep brains, hearts and eyes, cow kidneys and looked at lots of body parts on a human cadaver....and so much more! We had seperate exams for lab and lecture and lab quizes every week, it was a lot of memorization. I was constantly looking at flashcards, labeling things and re-writing notes but, it all paid off...I got an A. It was a lot of work but so interesting! I am taking physio in the fall and can't wait to see what the lab is like. I have already taken chemistry, it was hard for me too and I didn't like it much either. Chemistry is a totally different beast, I think you'll love A&P.....Good Luck!

Saysfaa · Jul 25, 2012

I had seperate anatomy and physiology classes.

In anatomy, lab and lecture were combined. That meant, we saw slides and passed around models of various structures and sometimes real specimens during the lectures. A few times we cut things open (sheep and cow hearts, cow eyeballs). It was nothing like chemistry lab... including no experiements or lab reports. The lab section of each exam was walking around the room from station to station. Each station had numbered pins stuck in the models, we wrote the name of the part each pin on the corresponding line of the test sheet.

My physiology class had a virtual lab. The lab book had details directions tells us what to click on (to drag parts around with the computer mouse to add various substances to beakers or whatever, to start and stop timers or pumps or electricity or heater, to have a machine analyze substances). We then recorded the results on the provided forms and submitted the forms electronically. We also did a few lab type things besides the virtual lab. Like record vital signs, record and (roughly) analyze diets.

Neither was anything like chemistray or general biology labs.

DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2012

My school was a little different, Anatomy and Phys were two separate classes. I was fortunate to go to a school that had a cadaver lab!!! We didn't do the dissection (I was done for us), but when we went to the 3 hour lab it was all about looking at the cadavers. It was the best

My physiology lab on the other hand was 3 hours as well and it was the biggest waste of my life. It was all computer based, faux experiments. Add this type of dialysis tubing on the screen and watch what diffuses through it. Let add more Potassium to this muscle on the computer screen and lets zap it with electricity. I can't learn that way, so I learned nothing from the lab.

Jennie.K · Jul 25, 2012

We looked at slides and dissected a cat. We used the slides and cat to get a real view of the things we were studying in class.

I got lucky and didn't have to do the cat dissection. In A&P I we just looked at slides and bones. In A&P II we have to dissect a fetal pig... Not looking forward to that!! I had to do that in 7th grade science and will never forget the smell :/

Inori, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2012

we named our cadaver pet "Mittens" apparently when I was dissecting/skinning i left the paws intact with a neat circle of fur so my group decided to name, adopt and pose with it. Each week we'd dig through the bags of decomposing cats and find mittens, on occasion repossess him from the group next door after all who else recognizes favorite frankencat. My A&P group had a strange sense of humor as we were all prenursing students.

otherwise we slice and diced into formaldahyde infused corpses, learn to match diagram, names to body parts, lotsa fun, you leave lab each week smelling of a sweet and sickly stench. Well start studying now its lotsa memorizations, apparently humans have 208 bones or somethign like that, organs, muscles all for you to memorize