A&P - Bones, Time... Need some Encouragement!

[phoenixnim]

Yes, another A&P freak out post. I'm sorry.

We are starting bones in A&P Lab today. I read through the chapters we are to cover today. And my mind can't seem to stop freaking out about ALL the stuff I need to learn, all the little crevices and lines and whatever... they ALL have names! Woah!

I'm trying to re-group my head and not panic, and am trying to take it one little step at a time, but I can't even seem to figure out where to start!

I'm majorly freaked out because I know there are only 4 lab classes until our next lab exam, where it will cover all bones and all muscles. And I am desperately trying to figure out how it's possible to cram that much information into my head in that small amount of time?! Four classes for ALL the bones and Muscles?!

And spelling counts on our lab exams. No word banks. We need to KNOW our stuff. I barely finished the first lab exam, and I felt I knew the stuff pretty well, but I had to keep waiting for stations to open up, since 2 people were not allowed at a station at a time! Timed tests when waiting for other people is another cruel punishment of these hazing pre-reqs, in my opinion.

The lecture portion right now doesn't match up with lab. We are doing bio-chemistry in lecture. Have I mentioned how much I HATE that this one class is really two separate classes?! Of all the research I did before hand, I don't recall coming across a post before where people said lecture and lab were two separate classes, basically. That would have been helpful to know while planning my schedule...

I know how important it is to get a good grade. So I'm spending all of my time studying, and doing note cards, etc. But there still does not seem to be enough time in the day. :-( I currently have two other classes, and a third starts in 2 weeks. I'm also a single mom to two kids.

I've read all of the success stories of single moms getting through this, and so I felt I could do it too! I'm REALLY trying. The problem is, when I stay up late studying, I then pay for it after a few days by getting sick by not getting proper rest. When I try to sleep a little more, I pay for it by getting lower grades.

I feel like I'm spending SO much time making note cards I'm not having enough time to actually study the note cards! I'm really freaked out right now because I have SO much to try to study for the next A&P lecture test in 1.5 weeks, and then the lab exam in 3 weeks!!! There is not enough time in the day to properly prepare!

I'm not sure where I'm falling short. :-( Feeling realy overwhelmed and discouraged right now.

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Good day:

Our Anatomy and Physiology I's lectures and labs have not matched up yet. To me, they are individually a 3 to 4 credit class in terms of time involvement.

In addition to the excellent advice of taking pictures, labeling pictures, I found it extremely helpful to break things down into manageable parts. For the Axial Skeleton, you might start with the skull. Then break the skull down into bones and structures possibly starting with the ethmoid bone. I did that for the skeleton, and I was able to get a good grade on the lab practical. I'm using the same technique for muscles (i.e. muscles of the eye, muscles of the lower arm, muscles of the upper arm, muscles of the throat, etc.).

Thank you.

[FutureIDNP]

First off relax. Secondly, study hard and make time. When I took a&p I was in the science lab every other day and the days I was not able to make it I was studying my study guides, notes, flashcards, youtube videos, etc. Also getting in small groups helped me out a ton!!! The models in the lab were a big help so if you have access to them, USE them!

[nolansmom]

We just finished this. For me what helped the most were diagrams on purposegames.com. I learned what bones were associated where & then printed out pictures & just kept labeling over & over.

[Idiosyncratic, BSN, RN]

As others have said; take a deep breath first of all.

Now, break things apart. If you can, use the lab skeleton/skull in order to memorize everything. However, if you can't all is not lost. I actually just did my lab practical on the skeleton today, and I worked myself up over it a lot more than I should have.

Here's how I broke my skull up:

Eye Socket

Starting from your nasal bone, working backwards.

Lacrimal, Ethomoid, Optic Canal(the little hole), Superior Optic Fissure(the upper opening), Sphenoid, Inferior Optic Fissure(the opening below Superior)

Mandible:

Mandibular Condyle, Madibular Notch, Coronoid Process, Mandibular Ramus, Mandibular Angle, Mental Foramen(the ONLY hole), and Mandibular Symphisis(chin)

If you can sit there and make lists, and make ideas - that will help. I also printed a whole body skeleton to hang on my wall, and make marks. Those are just a couple examples of what I did. I would suggest doing the same thing for your bones as well, as a lot of them have repeats. If you can at least know what each bone has as a marking, you'll be a step ahead.

Here's a website I found useful while studying: http://wps.aw.com/bc_marieb_happlace_7_oa/42/10966/2807329.cw/

GOOD LUCK!!! :)

[phoenixnim]

Thanks everyone. I'm still kind of freaking out. I seem to do okay with matching when I have a word bank. But I can't seem to come up with most names off the top of my head yet and we start muscles this week! I don't feel confident in bones at all yet and now it's time to add in the muscles.

I'm not sure how to make my head remember all these crazy names! I wish we could at least have a word bank or something for the practical. Or I wish we could at least take a separate test on bones and then a test on muscles so I'm not trying to memorize 100's of crazy names all at once.

I'm really trying.

[friendlyjane]

We just finished the bones and had a lab exam on them. I did great on the test. What I do is look at the picture of t he bone or if I'm on open lab holding the bone and I see it, then say it, then write it. Like lets say I'm holding the ulna. I look at a certain structure of the bone. I say "olecranon process" then I write it out on paper. The I look at the next structure and I say "coronoid process of the ulna" and then write it down. Of course at the beginning I'm using the word bank but I try to remember on my own with each try and I always write the bone or structure out. Good luck.