A&P Lab T.A. Really Bad (venting!)

stpauligirl · Feb 21, 2006

I just need to vent this and get a little sympathy. Thanks for listening, and I apologize if this language offends anyone, but...
my A&P Lab T.A. totally SUCKS!
I am doing quite well memorizing the names of the structures and stuff, but in the lab practical, trying to identifying the structures on the bones, I didn't do so well. I lay part of the blame for this on the teaching assistant for my class.
It seems to me that part of a teacher's job is to...er, teach. In other words, take the material and organize it or develop it in some way that makes it easier to understand and learn. My TA just photocopies the illustrations from the lab book, projects them as Powerpoint illustrations, and points out the labeled structures: "And this is the scapula. Here is the acromion process." Excuse me, but I can figure that out myself from the book! What I need from the TA is insight into how to differentiate between a tubercle and a tuberosity, for example. In fact, when I asked him for this, specifically, in class, he replied, "It's just one of those things you have to memorize." Say WHAT?!
Furthermore, this TA doesn't give any type of lab assignments -- nothing to integrate the in-lab experience with the book learning. It's basically just an "open lab" session every week. I have tried asking him questions in the lab, but instead of showing me HOW to figure out the answer, he just gives me the answer outright. That doesn't help me learn the material.
I am very frustrated with this situation. Because of my work schedule, I can't go to any of the other lab sessions (with different and better TAs), so I am stuck with this guy. It's not that I'm afraid I'll fail the class (I won't); it's that I really WANT and NEED to learn this stuff, and I'm not. I am learning as much as I can on my own, but if I could learn it all myself, there'd be no use in having a CLASS, would there?
You might expect that the graduate student assigned to teach an A&P lab would be involved in some sort of research involving the human structure, wouldn't you. Well, at my school, you'd be wrong. The TA for this class is an ECOLOGY student, writing his dissertation on some sort of microbial ecology. Why does the university assign someone with no interest in A&P to teach the lab for this very important class? I feel all he's interested in is taking home his paycheck. I'm not sure what the university is interested in, that they would foist this guy upon us poor student schmucks.
Sorry for the long rant, but this has really been bugging me. I feel I'm being cheated out of a big part of my pre-nursing knowledge. I am putting everything I have into this class, but I need some support from my teachers. It's especially frustrating to ask for very specific help and be told, basically, "You're on your own."
I want to stress that I don't expect the teacher to do my learning for me. Not at all. As I said, I am studying very hard and made an A on the A&P lecture test, and I do very well on the lab quizzes. But I need some help organizing the terminology and relating it to the physical elements in the lab. I think I should be able to rely on my teacher for help with this.
Thank you for listening. I feel better now and, hopefully, will be able to sleep better tonight!

I am sorry that you are experiencing difficulties in your lab and I understand your frustrations. We had the same teacher for both lecture and lab....we were totally on our own in both. He'd always say :"It's in your book" if we had questions. For the lab the only thing we had was the lab manual and we had to know everything in it. How we went about getting there was completely our own problem. On one occasion he took off to play basket ball with his buddies (now these guys are all at least 80 years old.....)

He calls it "Independent learning" and even had a paragraph about this kind of teaching style in his syllabus.......I made an A with this guy, only God knows how

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2006

I feel your pain LOL. My Algebra instructor does not speak English. Ok, she knows how to say 'heyllo, goodbye, homewerks, tyest'. She is from China. I'm taking two semesters of accelerated college Algebra from her this semester. I learn nothing from her. She mutters at the board and writes too small for anyone but the first row to see or hear.

You know what though? It doesn't really bother me. I feel that it is my responsibility to learn the material and anything the instructor brings to the class is just bonus. I work off of the CD-ROM that came with my textbook and that's how I learn. Sometimes I get frustrated that I have to waste so much time in class for nothing...but oh well. So I sit in the back and study my biology and listen for the words "tyest, homewerks, exam". Algebra doesn't exactly come easy to me either.

Yes, you have a somewhat suboptimal instructor. Thing is, it is your responsibility to learn the material on your own and whatever the instructor brings to the table is bonus. Try to look at it that way. It's how life works, isn't it? So of course it applies to school too.

Ok, I know you probably hate reading the above. (((I would))). Hang in there. This kind of thing sure makes us appreciate a good instructor doesn't it?

SFCardiacRN · Feb 21, 2006

Hang in there. A&P is hard and learning all the bumps on all the bones is impossible. And wait until you get to physio on the loop of Henley in the kidney or Krebs Cycle! Hard stuff. Just concentrate on the main points. It sounds like you are used to making good grades and are surprised by the difficulty of college level science. You'll be fine if you just don't stress.

Golden_Clover · Feb 22, 2006

I am sorry that you are experiencing difficulties in your lab and I understand your frustrations. We had the same teacher for both lecture and lab....we were totally on our own in both. He'd always say :"It's in your book" if we had questions. For the lab the only thing we had was the lab manual and we had to know everything in it. How we went about getting there was completely our own problem. On one occasion he took off to play basket ball with his buddies (now these guys are all at least 80 years old.....)
He calls it "Independent learning" and even had a paragraph about this kind of teaching style in his syllabus.......I made an A with this guy, only God knows how

I have the same professor for both as well. He doesn't help us at all in lab. He gives us a list of things to know... and we go at it. In lecture he has us print off powerpoints and he reads through them... He's not the worlds best teacher, but I like teaching my self so it is going well. I guess everyone is different-- best of luck to everyone:rolleyes:

Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2006

Unfortunately, you are on your own. A & P, Microbiology, and Chemistry took up alot of my time. I made tons of flash cards, bought A&P flashcards, found tutors, and spent hours with a study group. I found with these classes, you kind of have to see if you "get" what the instructor says, if not, ask questions and if you still don't "get it" - find other resources that you more easily learn from. I can't tell you how many times I would be in a jam and once I looked the topic up on the internet, I could understand it because the author presented it in a better way (for me). Hang in there and good luck - you can do it. Heck, if I did, anyone can!:roll

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 22, 2006

Are tubercle and tuberosity two different things? They seem to be used interchangeably.

Anyway I found this site. Looks like it might be helpful. It has x-rays of all the bones and a diagram next to it.

http://brighamrad.harvard.edu/education/online/private/clerkship/bone_anat/toc.html

ibmaryann · Feb 22, 2006

I am currently in A and P 2. We are dissecting the cat and identifing the muscles. We have a test on 62 of them next week. Your post just lets me know how wonderful my lecture and lab teachers are. They make the time past so fast. They give you example and are sometimes a stand up comedian in the middle of it all. I have learned and love it. My teacher for A and P 1 passed out what she called a cheat sheet for the bones. She would teach us little quirky things for some of the bones, like for the glenoid process. She said that Glen is waving since that is where your arm attaches. I am so grateful for them. I will have to let them know how much I appreciate them in my next class. Just hang in there. I seems impossible at first but it usually all falls into place before test time.

Appling for RN on April 1,

Mary Ann

Princess74 · Feb 22, 2006

tubercle (tū′bĕr-kl) [L. tuberculum, a little swelling] 1. A small rounded elevation or eminence on a bone.

tuberosity (tū-bĕr-ŏs′ĭ-tē) [L. tuberositas, tuberosity] 1. An elevated round process of a bone. 2. A tubercle or nodule.

These are Taber's definitions. I still get them a bit mixed up too, you just have to memorise where everything on the bone is. I've been going crazy trying to learn everything that we have to know about the bones. My midterm is tomorrow (well, actually it is today).

smk1, LPN · Feb 22, 2006

I have the same professor for both as well. He doesn't help us at all in lab. He gives us a list of things to know... and we go at it. In lecture he has us print off powerpoints and he reads through them... He's not the worlds best teacher, but I like teaching my self so it is going well. I guess everyone is different-- best of luck to everyone:rolleyes:

This is how we learned in lab as well. The key is to delve into your Atlas (Netters or whatever Anatomy atlas you have) and work on your own and then look on ine for different pictures and models to help at home. The bone thing really is memorization, there are general rules, but it really is a rote memorization thing for the most part. You will get through it, now at least you don't have 2 different TA's telling you two different things like we did. I always asked who would be writing the test, and if i had a question about something i would clarify it with that person, because otherwise you end up with a problem. :rolleyes:

NaomieRN · Feb 22, 2006

I am in the same situation with you. My lab teacher does not teach us anything. If you ask her a question, she tells you to check the text book. She assigns chapters from the lab book for us to do and just go over the asnwers. If you dont give her the exact answer from the book, it's wrong. Last semester, when I had to know all the bones, I spent over 20 hours in the lab with my study group. We helped each other out. We started from the cranial. We all got above 90s on the practical.

I now have her again for A&P 2, she is the same way. I am not learning anything from her. I am glad I have a better lecture professor.

What I have learned, you can learn the lab materials on your own. You just have to find someone who is dedicate and willing to work with you. I go online to find resources and spend my saturdays in the lab. One thing to remember, the lab professor cannot help you to remember all the bones, you just have to find a way to memorize where they are in the body.

stpauligirl · Feb 22, 2006

I have the same professor for both as well. He doesn't help us at all in lab. He gives us a list of things to know... and we go at it. In lecture he has us print off powerpoints and he reads through them... He's not the worlds best teacher, but I like teaching my self so it is going well. I guess everyone is different-- best of luck to everyone:rolleyes:

My bio chem teacher was alot like that too, we were pretty much on our own. Both said that this is what is expected of us in nursing school....independent learning, critical thinking and self motivation, no-one will be nice in nursing school. You've got to learn how to figure things out on your own and become an effective problem solver. Many teachers separate the A's from the B's and weed people out with this method. :rolleyes: