Advice for acing A&P?

PlayaChickRN · Jan 10, 2015

I took A&P I last semester and got an A+. I would say that repetition was my main study technique. I made flashcards with all of the information for the upcoming test. I would keep them with me and go through them every chance I had. I made sure to at least go through them all before bed each night and once during the day. I used boxes around words, underlined, color ink, and highlighting to emphasize or organize the main ideas of the information on each card. When testing time came around, I could almost see the cards in my mind and pick out exactly what information I needed from it. I'm sure many will agree that studying the information staring on the day it is introduced and building on it is really the best way to go. Don't wait until the week of the test to cram it. It's too much information. Remember, if this is for a nursing career, you need to KNOW this information. Do not fall into the habit of memorizing it all then forgetting it all after the test. My last bit of advice is to enjoy the class. Don't view it as a hard class but more as a fascinating study on your own body and the amazing machine that is. If you have a hard time in this class, it is probably because you need to adjust your study skills.

Good luck!

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 10, 2015

Study, study, study!

I found the anatomy quizzes on this website to be very helpful: Web Anatomy: Self Tests

For physiology, look up You Tube videos by Dr. Leslie Samuels. He's got a great way of explaining how things work physiologically and in a way that's easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to remember! :)

I also highly recommend Khan Academy (free!)

A&P is the course that gives you your foundation knowledge that you'll use over & over in nursing school. You'll see it in Med Surg, Peds, Pharmacology, Acute Care, Chronic Care, etc. If you have a solid knowledge of this information, you'll do well in nursing school. Our program did a study and found that students who struggled in A&P tended to also struggle in nursing school.

Good luck!!!

Raviepoo · Jan 11, 2015

Anatomy coloring book. Also, locate the body part on your own body. Be able to point to it's location on your own form. That helped me.

jenfro · Jan 11, 2015

I treated them like a part time job when I took them and I think that's the only reason I did so well (my school has them as separate classes *groan*). Anatomy is basically pure memorization, but physio is comprehension.

Just spend more time than you think you need studying. If they offer mentoring/tutoring/review sessions, GO. Use any study guides or extra materials that the professor suggests or posts. Record the lectures and listen to them as you're studying, or really doing anything. I listened to A&P lectures so much I could pretty much repeat parts of the lectures The coloring books are actually a really great tool! Plan on staying in on the weekend before a test to make sure you know the material. Youtube is awesome, especially for physio topics! Sometimes another textbook will explain something better, so check out your university's library for other texts to reference.

These classes aren't supposed to be easy, in fact, a lot of times they are meant to be hard. Just put your head down and power through and you'll do great! Be prepared for it to be your bread and butter over the next 16 weeks. Anatomy is SO much fun, you'll really love it!

AspiringNurseMW · Jan 11, 2015

I actually hated flashcards. Only used them for the histology final and osteology test. Then I realized that for my particular professor I was doing them all wrong. My tests were only ever matching, true /false, and multiple choice. So truly straight memorization wasn't necessary *for me* most of the time. I would make sure to read the chapter before class in chunks, around 5 pages per day, and would take my own notes. Our teacher had his own notes that I reconciled with mine AFTER. I would also create visual/written aids like concept maps, or printed pictures with blank labels and filled them out over and over using a sheet protector. I also liked creating concept maps depending on the content. I bought my book new and made sure to buy it with the online access code and I found the videos, games, and activities it came with indispensable. I also happened to really like the class because I was constantly having "oh so that's how that works" moments. I ended up with an A which is the highest grade possible at my school.

Leonardsmom,LPN · Jan 11, 2015

Agree with studying, spend time everyday studing the material, and try to stay ahead of what is going to be covered in lecture. That way you have had exposure to the material before the lecture and it gives you an opportunity to gain more comprehension of the material when you are in the lecture. If you are able spend as much time as you can with the models. I found some great videos on YouTube that whet over different models that were used in my anatomy class, which was very helpful since my instructor would put out the models, tell us to take pictures of them and use our lab manual and the pictures we took to study the models that we would be tested on. For anatomy and physiology the majority of my time was spent studying and listening to the lectures that I recorded. For phone apps I liked using quizlet for anatomy, I could either make up my own flashcards or use ones that other people made. I would have quizlet read the cards out loud and would listen to them playing in the car when driving to or from work. For learning the skeletal system I found some great interactive pages on Gateway college website, looks like I erased the bookmark from my iPad, but should be able to find it by doing a web search. Good luck

NICUlove62 · Jan 11, 2015

Study everyday! I made flashcards right after each lecture and studied them everyday multiple times a day. I made myself go through the flashcards from previous lectures too before I did the new set. Going through them helps keep the information fresh in your brain. By the end of the semester, I had a stack of flashcards that was 7 inches tall!!! I earned an A in Anatomy. It was tough, but with a lot of studying, you can do it! Good luck!

Nienna Celebrindal · Jan 11, 2015

Another vote for studying daily and treating it like a job. You need to make it a priority in your life.

readyforachangenow · Jan 11, 2015

YouTube has some great videos especially on the lab portion. They will have videos of different models and some have more explanations than others.

They also have great animated videos for different concepts for more visual learners.

DonnaHurst · Jan 11, 2015

Study! Make it fun. Google virtual quiz aids. Another thing that may sound odd, but it helped me (I can dissect a good bit of medical jargon as a result) pay attention in your text books to the Latin roots of the words, this helped so much with terminology.

lovinglife2015 · Jan 11, 2015

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