Am I just not smart enough?

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Girls and boys, I usually do not write on forums or comment on blogs; no one in my real world understands what I am going through, but you might.

Here is a bit of history: I am a full-time employee, a mother of 2 little boys and taking darned A&PI online through Rio Salado College. I have always been an A student, but it sure feels like I am getting a C or F in this one.

In Rio we do not get feedback on the tests we take (so I have no way of knowing what I got wrong) and we do not have discussion board for students to talk. I feel like I am the only student of A&PI in USA. This week we are required to read through chapter 10 and learn all the muscles. We are talking about all human muscles. I know I may be freaking out, but can it be done in such a short amount of time?

I would appreciate any encouraging words from any of you.

My dream is to become a RNFA and donate my time to the community and people who need it, to be able to give my skills to some who don't have them. I worked in the hospital as a CNA on medsurg and er floors, I absolutly love patients, love listening to them and hearing their story ... but sometimes I wonder if I am not cut out for this because of this class ... 16 weeks of nightmare.

Help, friends! My desperate call.

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Specializes in Clinical Partner and CNA.

I cannot imagine taking a&p online, not to mention working full time too. I took a&p 1 (in class) last semester, I have 2 little boys too, but I dont work at all. I'm in a&p 2 now and we are just now learning the muscles. You can do this, have you figured out how you learn best? I say this all the time, I'm sure people get tired of hearing if from me, but I am a total flash card person, I write them and carry them 24/7, throw them in the diaper bag and go. But you will have to figure out what works best for you too. I took a&p 1 at a different school and worked full time and failed, but I knew the second time around better what to expect. Can you email your classmates? Maybe have a discussion board somewhere else. Have you tried emailing your teacher and asking about the test? I would certainly want to know what I missed! Anywho good luck, keep working hard, it will pay off! Let me know how you are doing.

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Online format is not for everyone and A&P would be very difficult. I tried a Stats class - non traditional and dropped the course, took it in a class and got an A.

I don't think this is a measure of your abilities. Many students are married, have kids, work, and still do well in school. This may not be the format for you.

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Thank you, "brittany_micah" and "MedSurg32RN".

I know, online format is not the best option, but for me it is the only option for now. I just must continue with school or I will never get to the end.

I have not found a good way to study ... as you can tell. I tried flash cards and they seem to work, but I ran out of time: by the time I write cards and read chapter, I need to complete labs and prepare for weekly quizzes ... I do not have time to go over the flash cards. So, they end up just taking laying there.

I can not contact anyone in my class - only teacher. And when I took my first test, and got 67% on it, she said "Keep up a good work" or "You are doing great". I need to stick it out ...

What are other ways of studying and memorizing? How many hours do you, guys, study a week? or did study?

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Of course you have found out the pitfalls of online classes. A&P is not an easy class no matter what the venue. One of the best ways to get by in the class I have found is to talk with other students and pick out the best instructor. When you get a good instructor it can make a big difference. Learning the muscles is easier when you have the lab cadavers to manipulate and look at. When you are only looking at a picture in the book or a flashcard, it might be more difficult. At this point you need to put almost all your time into it. Unless you can find a fellow student to study with, you are on your own, and will have to find a way to deal with it.

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

It sounds like you have alot working against your success. With 2 kids and a full time job, how can you get any studying done at all? With no disussion or support, you might as well be teaching yourself out of a book. I know some people swear by it but I am not a big fan of online classes. I have found they tend to want to punish you for your lack of classroom time and so they give you triple the work.

This probably does not help you right now but it may be something to think about in the future. Good luck

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I have a tip.

I bought a bunch of those anatomy coloring books and went to town on them. Helped me learn all my muscles, bones, brain parts, etc really quickly.

As to A&P online. Wow. I don't have the self discipline for online study.

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this website helped me with both learning and evaluating how i was doing...

http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/ap/saladin2e/graphics/saladin02ap/ch11/others/chap11labeling01.html

the anatomy coloring books were also hugely helpful... they incorporate so many modes of learning (kinetic as you move your hand coloring, visual of course - the use of color creates different links in your brain than the printed words). i had kapit's anatomy coloring book.

chants, songs, dancing or tapping your fingers in a different place for each catagory also helps. trace the obvious ones on your little boys as you bath them.

make silly connections, the sillier the better. they don't have to make sense, it is actually better if they don't make much sense. these can be a sentence with a word for each letter or other kinds of associations (masseter is easy - a big wad (a mass) getting eaten).

aim your study. i get more done in a half hour in the early morning than i do in four hours after 9 at night, other people are night owls or do best in early afternoon. i study differently if i need to come up with a word out of the blue vs matching words from a list to picture or description. make just ten flashcards and use them until you get them right most of the time then add ten more... when you have one down solidly then take it out of the pile. make catagories: learn the face muscles - four muscles that move the eyeball, the five muscles that move the mouth, the six kinds of face muscles (eyeball, around the eye, nose, mouth, cheek, forehead) i made up those catagories make them whatever makes sense to you. another way is to make catagories by alphabetic order or all the really big muscles from head to foot. write the lists until your hand has learned the pattern of them and/or sing them in that order. sort out the ones with names like the bones they cover. pick a muscle you get stuck on and endlessly repeat it in the shower, pick another one for while you wash the dishes.

get enough sleep, eat right, exercise. you'll get more done even though those things take time.

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First: stop seeing yourself as an "A" student, or even that you are getting a C or F in this class! Take a deep breath! Ok! You are amazing and I commend you on deciding to go to school and working hard to get where you wanr to go for yourself and your children! Now, I agree: coloring books and silly rhymes or phrases to help, and if you can, visit the library or an open lab at your college so that you can touch and feel the muscles! Have the kids(if they're old enough) help mom with her flash cards: given them some and have then ask mommy what muscles are around the eye or what helps me chew, etc.. You can do it! My crazy self was working full-time, married, and decided to take AandP1 AND Microbiology together! I thought I was gonna lose all my hair, my hubby, and my job! But I pulled it out and hustled hard and passed both w/ a B-. I was an A student and failed my first tests in both classes! I just knew I couldn't get into nursing school or anywhere else and I was gonna be stuck in this dead-end job. Well, I made it and am in my 2nd year of nursing school! YOU CAN DO IT! BELIEVE IT!

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Pedi/Tele.

I'm almost in the same boat as the OP. I'm just starting my Anatomy class and I'm already stressing. I just see all the information and think.... "OMG can I really memorize all this stuff". I go to class twice a week and have lab once a week. Plus I work 40 hours Evenings at a hospital. So I'm going out and buying the coloring books and flash cards as soon as I can to help me. I'm dreading the whole semester already! :eek:

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Can't thank you enough for taking your time to post a message. I know there have been many of "me" - crying out loud.

Anyway, I think I am going to try and separate my flash card nightmare into groups: body parts and take it group at a time. I will try the website and the colouring book too.

Most of all, it was great to hear that there are some crazy people like me: doing it all. If you made it, I can too.

You all made me feel much better ... and who knows ... you might have just made a difference in someone's life - mine. Feeling more optimistic about it. Thank you!:)

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I took Anatomy last term as a hybrid (on campus lab, but no classroom lecture) and I'm taking Physiology the same way this term.

My number one suggestion is to get to open labs as much as you possibly can. That helped me in anatomy more than anything else. There is nothing like the gift of someone donating their body to help us learn and seeing the anatomy in situ connects for me much more than looking at 2 dimensional pictures. If you don't have cadavers, at least spend some quality time with the models. Ask your physicians if they have models/books that you can borrow. My son's ENT let me borrow an ear model for a couple of weeks and it was an enormous help.

I only work part time, but have 3 little ones at home and I completely feel your pain. I worried about my grade all the way through anatomy and know that it wouldn't have been as difficult if I'd been able to take the class on campus -- my lab prof was awesome (tough, but awesome) but the instructor assigned for lecture had NOTHING online for us at all other than a review question page before the exams. We literally taught that part to ourselves. It was aweful. I worked hard and got the grade I wanted, but it was a lot of work and consistent work - at least 90 minute a night, plus 4 hours in scheduled lab per week and as couple hours in open labs when I could fit them in.

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