A & P 1 -- Fall 2010

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OK, I've started this thread for various past semesters and something always happened that made me have to drop the course.

But here I go again - just registered for A & P 1 for this coming fall!!!!! And I refuse to let anything get in my way this time...

So who's with me?

Hi beauty11986! Since I received my 'not so favorable' grade last week, I have been doing alot of reading and research on effective study. One tip I came up with is called the Cornell note taking system...you can read about it here: http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/cornell.html. I am going to shift my approach to include this method and see if it makes a difference for my next exam.

Also, I did try the VARK evaluation for learning style and I am a kinesthetic learner, which totally makes sense for me. This is also very helpful to know as you gather good study tools, so you are not wasting your time studying in a way that won't work for you.

Hope this helps...good luck and let's keep encouraging one another! We will make it through and be successful!!:yeah:

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Currently in my class we have a "quiz" but its 80-100 questions every Tues and a lab quiz every Thurs. The teacher jumps around alot, and refuses to cover the first 3 chapters because he insists its what we should have learned in pre-reqs of chem and bio, so we did a brief overview of digestion, nervous and cardiovascular, just finished tissues, had our mid-term and we're doing reproductive and embryo development the next 3 weeks then endocrine and urinary and then bones and final

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Any tips on how to study and learn those first 3 chapters? Chem is not a pre-req, and I'm not planning to take it before A&P. I start A&P in the spring, it will be a split session course - 1st 8 weeks A&P 1 then the 2nd 8 weeks will be A&P2. I am nervous! I've never had chemistry, not in college or highschool - and I know my professor already expects you to know the first 3 chapters of the Marieb A&P book.

Any advice for me? Anything I should commit to memory before that first class?

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Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

^ If you already know what book the professor wants you read out of then start reading the first 3 chapters early. Reading ahead is an excellent way to destress yourself from the material when it comes to the beginning of the class. I read 4 chapters through my biology before taking my intro to biology course and didn't have to deal with the stress of reading so many chapters in a matter of weeks like my peers did.

Also, if you have the time maybe you can buy a "Chemistry for Dummies" book or something to introduce yourself to chemistry. Though, I don't see how chemistry can be in any way related to A&P. I think biology and A&P are more "cousins" in the sense that they both deal with systems in animals and such.

Even though I haven't taken my A&P class yet, I hope these few suggestions will help you.

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Maybe those first 3 chapters deal more with Biology? Maybe someone who has used the Marieb A&P book would know.

I'm not sure I'm familiar with that either, I haven't taken that since highschool 20 yrs ago.

Maybe a chemistry and biology for dummies book would be good for me to read through in December when I have a break from school. I'll start back in January with A&P. I'm not taking any courses other than A&P -- I'm already worried enough about the split session.

Thanks for the reminder abou the "dummies" books.

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Maybe those first 3 chapters deal more with Biology? Maybe someone who has used the Marieb A&P book would know.

I'm not sure I'm familiar with that either, I haven't taken that since highschool 20 yrs ago.

Maybe a chemistry and biology for dummies book would be good for me to read through in December when I have a break from school. I'll start back in January with A&P. I'm not taking any courses other than A&P -- I'm already worried enough about the split session.

Thanks for the reminder about the "dummies" books.

Start studying the book now! And as someone else suggested, perhaps the Dummies book or something similar also. Our community college uses the test bank for lecture tests, which can be hard - they often pick obscure, one-line comments in the book and ask questions about them.

The first 3 chapters of the Marieb A&P book are as follows:

Ch. 1: "The Human Body - An Orientation" (topics such as anatomy, topics of physiology, levels of structural organization, necessary life functions, homeostasis, the language of anatomy such as anatomical position, regional terms, body planes, body cavities and membranes)

Ch. 2: "Chemistry Comes Alive" Part 1 of Chapter 2 is called "Basic Chemistry", and includes topics such as definition of concepts: matter and energy, composition of matter: atoms and elements, how matter is combined: molecules and mixtures, distinguishing mixtures from compounds, chemical bonds such as electrons and types of chemical bonds, chemical reactions including chemical equations, patterns of chemical reactions, energy flow, reversibility of chemical reactions, factors influencing the rate of chemical reactions). Part 2 of this Chapter 2 is called "Biochemistry", which talks about inorganic compounds (water, salts, acids and bases) and then organic compounds (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and ATP).

Ch. 3: "Cells: The Living Units" has the following sub parts:

Overview of the Cellular Basis of Life

The structure of the Plasma Membrane

Membrane Transport of the Plasma Membrane

Generation of Resting Membrane Potential

Cell-Environment interactions in the plasma membrane

The Cytoplasm

The Nucleus

Cell Growth and Reproduction

Extracellular Materials

Developmental Aspects of Cells

I am taking A&P I with lab right now. We are about halfway through. The course is best taken by itself, as you will be glad to have hours and hours to study only A&P. Clarification: that means hours and hours of study for the lecture, and hours and hours of study for the 1 credit lab (where did they get just 1 credit for lab???). This especially goes doubly if you are doing it in 8 weeks instead of 16 weeks. Wow- that will be very time consuming; it will be a 24/7 course. Very interesting - but very time consuming.

How do you learn best? Read/write, auditory, etc.? Walk around in your house telling yourself terms, rewrite your notes, draw pictures, talk out loud, use the Internet videos, tell the dog, recite it if you wake up in the night. Get totally involved.......

Good luck, and have fun. :)

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Some students like the A&P coloring books. Go to Barnes & Nobles and look at several different ones and see if a particular coloring book suits you. How about flash cards? Some students like those.

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I learn best by reading and writing, and also having enough time to digest what I'm reading. I am scared to death about this 8 week course, even more scared after reading the description of the first 3 chapters -- I don't know any of that stuff! I really wish I could take a full 16 week course, but the community college I attend has moved away from that. At least the professor has good reviews, everyone says its the hardest course they've ever had, but that the professor is willing to go out of her way to help you. So that is a bonus at least!

I think flashcards and coloring books will be perfect! I am nervous, but I keep telling myself that nursing school is not easy and this will be great practice!

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Are you able to order your book soon so you can start studying? I studied for at least 3 - 4 weeks before the class began, and took notes from the textbook, and it helped a lot. At least I had heard the terms before. I did that for chapters 1 - 4. Of course, when we got to chapter 5 and on, I had not read any of that, but AT LEAST I started the course smoothly, which I think is a psychological & educational advantage.

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I'm going to email the professor, and be sure they are not switching editions used next semester. Then I might go ahead and get it - I won't be able to begin reading it until December (due to my current classes) but I will have all of December to read through the book. I always feel lost when I do that though, for some reason without the teacher directing me to what I need to know - I feel like I'm reading but not fully focused.

Oh and if something happens and I can't get the book in December (since I won't have my financial aid yet) I can at least get an older version from the library. That might help.

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The first three chapters are the cell, chem and overview of terms. They are very easy. My teacher expected us to know it all, so I just reviewed it all over the summer. Read over the chapters and do the review work at the end and you should be fine

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Thanks Rebecca V, I will do that! I hope it ends up being that easy, I'm expecting the worst.

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