Anatomy & Physiology??

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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So I'm going into my second semester getting my prerequisites for nursing, and my advisor told me anatomy & physiology is the science class I should take. The A&P class does not have any pre reqs, however after signing up for the class the teachers syllabus says she thinks you should have at least a college bio or Chem class under your belt first and that it's a 2nd college year level class. Am I totally set up for failure?? I'm pretty organized and good at studying but from anyone who's gone through this class, is it possible to still get a good grade with no knowledge of bio?? Thank you for any help.

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU.

I failed Biology when I took it in high school- twice. That was back in 2008-2010. I was out of school for 5 years and then went back January of last year. My first course load was Anatomy and Physiology, English 111, General Psych, and an Art Appreciation class. I worked full time as well and still managed to come out with all A's.

The key to success is to continue to stay organized, as you have previously stated that you are, and to utilize your professor whenever you're confused by any of the information. Just make sure to stay on top of your studies and you'll be just fine. If I can manage an A in a class, where there were 20 students and only 4 of use made A's, then you surely can make an A yourself. Just make sure to apply yourself.

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

Do you consider yourself a good student? Do you feel that you do well retaining information from lectures and books? A&P is a lot of diagrams, charts, rote knowledge like names of body parts, cells, hormones and functional knowledge like how the renal system works. If you learn well from flashcards and books, you'll probably be fine.

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A&P 1 isn't bad - it's just a LOT of memorization and even throws a bit of the basic stuff at you (very basic chemistry and whatnot)

The key is to stay organized, ask for help when you need it (that's what your professors are for!), use resources available to you (especially tutoring if it's available at your college for free).

Quizlet is a godsend if you want to drill terminology; diagrams, fill in the blanks etc are amazing if you need to memorize body parts n' such - there's many labeling exercises available online for free!

Keep a cool head, manage your time well, and try to make your study experience a positive one.

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.

For the anatomy portion, biology and chemistry are almost irrelevant. Anatomy is the the study of what makes up the body and you could be successful in that class regardless of your science background. As for physiology, I have not taken it yet but I know that concepts from biology are used (i.e. Krebs cycle, ETC, glycolysis, osmosis, etc.) however, if you are a good student and are willing to learn and go above and beyond by doing extra research, I do not see a problem with taking it without having taken biology or chemistry. You just have to stay focused and organized. Good luck!

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

When I did A&P, they did a review the first week of cell biology and the Kreb's cycle. If you've already taken Biology, then it's a very easy review. If you haven't, it might feel overwhelming. There are some great online videos by Dr. Leslie Samuels if you want to review bio before starting A&P. Our school required either Bio or Chem as a pre-req before attempting A&P.

Knowing cell biology is helpful when you start learning action potentials in Physiology and how the sodium/potassium pump works.

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Do you consider yourself a good student? Do you feel that you do well retaining information from lectures and books? A&P is a lot of diagrams, charts, rote knowledge like names of body parts, cells, hormones and functional knowledge like how the renal system works. If you learn well from flashcards and books, you'll probably be fine.

For the basic A&P class in university, would you know if the professors would expect you to memorize every single part of the body? I start my first class in a couple of days and I'm extremely nervous to say the least.

I aced my introductory biology class, but I don't know if that's relevant to what I will score in my A&P class.

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I guess I'm in the minority, but chemistry did help me quite a bit with A&P. I don't think you have to have it, but it made certain things easier for me, IMO. It helped with the basic cell structure/function and it helped a lot with action potentials, proteins and sugars, specifically.

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I was never good at chemistry...I got biological sciences better in high school and in college. My university does not require us to take a chemistry course to get into the program.

Would you say biology helps more with A&P or chemistry overall?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Having taken biology and Chemistry before A and P only helped me out for the first week or two. I don't really think it was that necessary to have taken first.

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No you're not. I took organic chemistry I when there was no prerequisites to register for it. But on the instructor's syllabus it said that general chemistry was a required prerequisites and gen Chem II was recommended. I took neither and ended up with a low A in the course.

Same for A&P, I did not take any bio course for that besides micro and once again ended up with an A. Usually, the required prerequisites are just there for you to familiarize yourself with subject. But you shouldn't get tested on anything your prof hadn't explained for the semester.

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I have to take anatomy and physiology separately. I can't take physiology until I take chem.

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