A&P I is not going well

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I'm currently taking A&P I, and it is not going well. My professor doesn't teach us. She told us the first day that she wasn't going to. For the first test, we had to do everything on our own, and I got a 67 (the class average). We have another test on Monday...for this one, she went over the notes for the most part, but still, most of what we've done is on our own. I'm really worried about not being able to get a C (the required grade for progression). What can I do? Lab isn't much better because it's so much material! For Thursday (our first practical), we have to know the skull, the axial skeleton, and about 20 tissues...college is great EXCEPT for A&P. And what sucks more is that this professor apparently used to be really good. It's just that this semester she's trying a "new method."

No, it is not BS!!! I am in my 2nd degree, and have attended a real university for 4 years, and let me tell you, real college is what it is, you read, and read, and read. That's it. Be it a community college or Yale. You have only taken BS classes (as for what you have said) like psych, sociology, English, stats, math, history, humanities, whatever... That's all cake in comparison to real core classes. and AP is just a weeding out class for the core classes...

YES, you have to read prior to class, the entire chapter, and you have to write down your questions, and ask them during class!! That is no BS!! Believe me!!!!

Anyway, even if you scratch everything I have said, you still have not told us what you are gonna do when you get into the program and have to deal with all read based classes?!?!

You have pinpointed that you have a lot of trouble with reading comprehension... Sure, not your fault, just the type of learner that you are. we all have our hurdles in learning... No Einsteins around here... But it is up to you to get around it, or you are not gonna make it. Even worse, if you "misinterpret" directions in a hospital setting, you might give a patient the wrong amount of a drug! (pretty scary)

I'm not sure if your school has a HESI test but most nursing test based a lot on reading comprehension, and so is the NCLEX. At the same time you are REALLY interested in medicine. So u have to ask yourself what are you gonna do about it? If you are absolutely sure that LD isn't the issue, find other methods of helping yourself, maybe remedial reading comprehension???

BTW, my professor doesn't teach us anything either. Specially my Microb. professor that doesn't even speak English!!! How much and how we learn is ultimately up to us in those core classes. Professors are not there to spoon feed information to you, they are there to point the direction, while we "follow the map", that's it!

Really, you MIGHT just be going thru the "aches'n pains" of entering the more difficult courses in college, and things will straingthen themselves out as you go... you never know. Whatever you do DO NOT GIVE UP, KEEP FIGHTING THE BATTLE AND PUT AS MUCH BLOOD N SWEAT AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN TOWARDS YOUR GOAL.

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Do you understand that when you get into actual nursing classes, the questions are not knowledge based, but are based on critical thinking skills? In my classes, we have lectures, but a lot of what we are expected to know is in the book and we are expected to read the book.

Have you thought about trying to find a course that will help you with your comprehension skills? You might go to the college's learning center and see if they can give you hints on how to read and comprehend. I know that I have some problems with that, and I found that if I take notes or even highlight while I read, it forces me to focus more.

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Specializes in Clinical Partner and CNA.

I think that everyone here has been trying to help you and you have very defensive the whole time and you have an excuse for everything. The above comment was a great one, when he/she asked you what you missed on the test.

Did you miss what the body systems are made up of?

Did you miss something about the cells and how they are made up?

I dont know what you learned (or were supposed to learn) for your first test, but give us some kind of idea of what you missed. Again, everyone here is trying to help you. Our teacher expects us to read the text before hand and have questions ready that may not be included in his notes. Sometimes I have to read things 5 times over because I dont understand. But I am determined not to quit or give up!!

I commented on this a while ago and you mentioned that if you fail this or have to retake it at a different school it would throw you 1 year off, well it did me and I'm sure it has for a lot of people. But if you dont know the basics of the body.

As far as watching DHC, how many people do you think watch those programs? And how many want to be nurses/doctors? Now of those, how many of those do you think actually make it through nursing school?

Being a nurse is an amazing dream, but if it was easy everyone would do it. You got to put in the time and effort and quit making excuses. No one (even us giving you suggestions) can learn it for you. It's up to you and if your teacher isn't teaching, I would suggest you find a tutor, onlin/in person, a study group, something.

Again, Good Luck! I hope things start to look up for you.

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I too have trouble with just reading!! I actually sit down and summarise (sp?)every chapter with my own words, and look for lectures online in Portugues (my first language) and English too... It's about wanting it hard enough that a poor teacher won't stand in my way... you should do the same. You have come here for advice and we are all giving it to you. Take it all and do the best you can with it. If you really don't want advice, don't waste ppl's time, go vent to your dog! I hope you take the good advice ppl are giving to you, even if we can be a little harsh...This is my last reply.

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btw, my 11 year-old watched DHC for fun!

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Specializes in N/A.

I too have trouble with just reading as a way to absorb so much critical information. I had biology in high school.... 30 years ago. I never had Chemistry. Reading can be boring...that is why you use recorded lectures, coloring books, flashcards, use your textbook companion website to play games and do art labeling. There is so much more to do besides reading. Read..yes...read your chapter..but then go on to reinforce it other ways. Make sense?

I'm going to say this lovingly... instead of spending so much time on this board responding to people why don't you listen to those A&P lectures at the website I sent you? Listen to them over and over and over again.. I do. She's a fabulous instructor! I even record them on a mini recorder and take them in my car on the hour long drive to school and back or when I'm out running errands.

I'm going to do well "in spite" of my professor. That's just the kind of person I am. He wants us to pass but this is the weed-eater class and if you do not learn to posess critical thinking here you will not make it...not matter how badly you want it. Like I said in a previous post...a can do attitude counts for a lot.

That said...they should be giving you back your tests with the correct answer marked so you can learn from it. If not, request it. That doesn't make sense. We get ours back by the next class so we can see where we made our mistakes. That's another way to learn...from those test mistakes. This is darn hard work. Listen to the suggestions here.

Off to study flascards and play labeling and memory games now on my textbooks companion website.

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I have listened to the lectures...

And my prof doesn't give tests back. It's not part of her practice. She won't give them back ever. You can go in and see her and she'll show you your test, but you already know what questions you got wrong and can figure out your score before you even leave the class.

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If it's what you really want, do whatever you can to pass even if you have to take it again except if you have other career options.

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Specializes in Alzheimers and geriatric patients.
btw, my 11 year-old watched DHC for fun!

LOL. I love DHC and so does my four year old!

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Specializes in Operating Room.

During nursing school, you may find that the instructors read powerpoints that don't really help much.

You have to study the material, find resources, etc. It's hard, but remember that it is possible...every step of the way.

Best of luck to you...stay motivated!!

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Specializes in student; help!.

I suspect I may be speaking for a lot of people in this thread when I ask: what, exactly, is it that you are trying to get out of this discussion? Are you just venting, in which case you might want to ask the thread to be locked? Do you want peoples' advice? If so, you could shoot it down a little less often. Do you just want sympathy? For SURE don't knock any of the advice. I guess I don't understand why there are 11 pages of (very good) suggestions, each of which you have rejected out of hand.

I've said my piece, so I think I'll bow out of this, but I really am curious.

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I'll reiterate what everyone else is saying one more time in the hopes that repetition helps:

Forget about the teacher. She sucks. Move on.

Use the extra materials that came with your book.

Go online and look for free lectures - there are a bunch on iTunes U.

Use interactive sites online - one example is http://www.aw-bc.com/myaandp/

Use your library's resource center - they probably have all kinds of stuff or can point you in the right direction to find videos, etc.

Find the person in your class who is doing well and have them teach you.

Get together with a study buddy who is a visual learner and have them help you.

Find a tutor.

Drop the attitude. Show some gratitude. We don't have to help you. We don't even have to care, but we do anyway.

Figure out some alternate ways of learning for the future, because, believe it or not, crappy teachers are common.

Good luck with the course.

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