A&P study advice needed

Hi all,

I am taking A&P I this summer and just had my first test last week. It was very very hard. I am generally a good student but would like to get advice on best techniques to really learn this stuff well and memorize so much too. I realize that I need to increase my study time. I have the coloring books. I am going to buy an additional textbook (like the Incredibly Easy book) because our text is really quite bad - written by one of the profs at this school. My prof doesn't even use it.

Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks -

[All_Smiles_RN]

A&P I and II were hard courses. I was shocked come the first test myself that I didn't do as well as I expected. After a few weeks though, I got the hang of it. Was your first test on all the bones and body orientations? That was a lot of memorization. After you cover all the muscles, it gets more into theory, so it's not just plain memorization. In my class, I would thoroughly study my lecture notes. Also, make charts to organize the info you have learned. Charts are REALLY helpful. Good luck!

...Jennifer...

[Energizer Bunny]

Flash cards are a huge help when learning the bones, muscles and tissues. I also re-copy all my notes when I get home and this helps me to retain the information.

[Cowboys_RN, BSN]

I recopied all my notes when I got home and made study guides for the Physiology tests. For the Anatomy portion I used some flash cards but what helped the most was printing pictures off the internet then labeling the parts I needed to know with numbers and writing the answers on the back so I could test myself. I started doing this after the first test and did much better on the rest of the tests. I also found that I couldn't cram for this class like I do all my other classes, you really have to study a little bit everyday.

[guest22304]

I got an A in A&P I and A&P II. However, I failed my first A&P class about 7 years ago. You must study. Constantly. I made color copies at Kinko's of the bones and made flash cards. I also made labeled pages and blank pages of the nerves & muscles to study from. Also, usually the summer courses are condensed and much harder. Also, let me add, the Professor makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!! Anytime the Prof offers extra help or study time after class, I always stayed. I would suggest that. FYI, some teachers get off on making their class hard. My Prof was all about helping the students. That makes all the difference in the world. My first Prof was about confusing us and making us cry. I think she got off on that, hateful wench.

[moonbunnie]

look at your notes whenever you have a chance, and quiz yourself extensively. even just a little bit every day helps. we had a bio lab room to study the bones and tissues on our own time, and i went there an hour a day until i really had them down. for less hands on things, i would try to think of something about the particular piece of information that will help you remember it, like neumonics or maybe something the professor said in class...like our teacher told us that the hip socket was called acetabulum because that means vinegar cup in latin and thats what they thought it looked like way back then, and i remembered it ever since.

[Achoo!, LPN]

I filled 3 notebooks full of notes. I just wrote information over and over, made flash cards, and took the quizzes off of the CD that came with the book, and ended up with an A. I guess it worked :)

[sunshinenor]

I used flash cards, re-copied my notes, made q & a from my notes, and get a study partner/group. HTH!!

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

Do you have a good study partner? Someone who is focused and will not waste time talking about boys, food, fashion, etc? You will need to study this subject daily and use the words in conversation in order to make them "stick". I applaud your dedication.

[Rhoresmith]

I made lots of note cards and took them with me everywhere, standing in grocery line out comes the cards, took that book with me allot to study diagrams and I used the coloring books and colored away to help remember all the parts we needed to know Hope this helps you

[mom2three]

FLASH CARDS, FLASH CARDS, FLASH CARDS!!!

I took them everywhere I went, whenever I had any 'down-time', I would go through them constantly... I would start 'weeding out' the ones that I knew really well and kept going through the remaining harder ones until I knew them really well... then I would put them all back together and go through them all. THEN, I would even flip them over and read the questions/info that way, to be sure I knew both sides of the answers. They worked GREAT for me, I ended up with an A-.

Also any of those online practice tests (there's a link from this site) were great, too.

GOOD LUCK!!

[jae82301]

I would photocopy the diagrams in the book and white-out the names. Then I would make myself like 4 0r 5 copies and fill in the blanks. That really helped me to memorize. Hope it helps!:)