A&P 1 vs. A&P 2

[Nico345]

Dear all-

What is the difference between A&P I and A&P II?

I heard one is on the micro level and one is on the macro level.

I am planning on taking A&P II before A&P I and was wondering if it was an okay decision (the A&P I lab isn't given during the Spring semester where I am).

Thank you!

[azcna]

There are so many body systems that they have to split A&P into two different classes to cover it all.

I don't think it would be the worse thing in the world to take the second part before the first part, but some things are good to know before learning other things. For example; the musculoskeletal system is covered in A&P I, you learn all the muscle and bone names. This helps you in the cardiovascular lesson because a lot of the veins are named after what muscle or bone they are near. It's really up to you though, if you are a great studier it shouldn't be a problem.

[One2gofst]

Yeah, basically it is micro/macro, but there are other diffrences. I would say 1 is more anatomy and 2 is more physiology, but again there are both in each.

Where I took them you could not take 2 before 1, as 2 builds on things learned in 1.

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

You cannot take 2 before 1!! The second course is a continuation of the first. You need to understand the basics and work your way up to the major systems.

I don't even know a school that would allow such a thing.

A&P1 - cells, cell parts, basic biology, tissues, skin, muscles, bones, nerves/neurons, special senses.

A&P2 cardiovascular sytem, respiratory, lympahtic, immune, urinary, digestive, reproductive.

[katebean04]

At my school, the book is split in half pretty much. I think you need to take A&P I in order to understand the basic functioning and anatomy of the body. I would not want to jump into A&P II without the knowledge that I had gained from the first half of the course. Concerning one part of A&P being more micro or more macro, I haven't really heard of that... but I would venture to say that we dealt with a lot of both in A&P I. I have heard of just Anatomy classes that deal on the macro level. But if you are doing anatomy AND physiology, you can pretty much expect to go to the micro level as well as looking at the big picture of things.

For example, in A&P I we were expected to know the structure of a neuron as well as the structure of the brain. We had to learn how the neuron worked before we could understand a lot of the functions of the brain. You can't understand a kidney without learning about a nephron. At least, that is how we do it at my school. I hope I was able to help, and good luck!

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

Personally, A&P 2 was easier than 1. You definitely need the macro understanding of 1 before you leap into the micro of 2. In my school, anatomy and physiology are infused throughout the two courses. I know in some schools courses in anatomy and physiology are separate, but I rather have it the way I took it. I like to correlate it with rice and beans: much better when they are served mixed than served separately