Anatomy....................Anatomy................ .....Anatomy :) Advice, please!

peas&carrots · Jul 19, 2010

I just had to memorize,memorize and then memorize some more. If your practical tests use the plastic figures than the more time you get with those the better. Your learning lab or where ever your tutors are should have extras for you to study in your free time. If they don't than you should suggest they set something up for the students. My A&P teacher always made sure we had as much time with the hands on stuff as we could get. You can go to websites that have diagrams that aren't labeled that you can print off so you can test yourself.

ruddergrl · Jul 19, 2010

I'll be sure and search for things like that on the net. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply!

IaCountryGirl · Jul 19, 2010

Make flash cards- don't buy them. Buying them seems nice because in the end you'll make a ton of them but the process of writing everything out helps you remember. Stick these flashcards in your purse/bag/take them everywhere you go. Review them every time you wait.

If you get to work with a cadaver, jump right in and use it every chance you get. Touch, touch, touch. If your instructor doesn't do it, make a list of particular things related to the system you're studying and then take it with you to lab. Maybe use some clues next to the name of (whatever it is) of where it's located.

NEVER associate any organs with food. You'll never eat again!

Take the time to really understand. If you don't, ask for help. If the teacher's not willing to help you all that much, seek out another A&P instructor. At my school, we had two really good instructors. One was better at anatomy and helping you remember what you're looking at. The other was a genius with the physiology part. Which leads me the next helpful thing for me that he did......

He's a fan of "Putting it all on one piece of paper". Sometimes they were rather large pieces of paper. Sometimes they were a blank brain for labeling (use different colored pens for this), sometimes it was drawing out a process.

Utilize the online tools that come with the book. There's puzzles, videos, and practice quizzes on there. Playing memory with pictures of tissue had me identifying them with my eyes closed in no time.

Most of all, don't get behind. It's very hard to catch up once you do. Review DAILY, no matter how busy you are. Don't wait until the day before a test to try to understand. And even if you get your assignment in lab done early, stay a little longer to work- for fun.

JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 19, 2010

We take anatomy with physiology at my comm college. Good stuff. Anatomy is almost purely memorization. Before starting my first of 3 A&P classes, I found it helpful to buy a couple of inexpensive elementary level anatomy books with pictures. The cheap books only show the larger muscles and bones and the larger, more obvious structures of the organs but this is a good start for laying down the foundations on your learning. Good to understand the function of the cell and tissues (histology). Understand placement/directional vocabulary like superior/inferior, supine/prone, anterior/posterior.

If your school has a lab with either real or plastic models of bones, muscle, organs, etc, use these. Know your tuberosities, condyles, epiphysis and get the spelling right.

JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 19, 2010

I just saw the above posts and agree with making your own study tools. A fellow student would free-hand draw her own diagrams and then label them. They were pretty elaborate with colors and everything. I wouldn't want to go to this kind of trouble but it really helped her. Spending time with other students in the lab room - with the plastic model organs and bones really helped me with remembering.

C-lion · Jul 19, 2010

I had been a massage therapist for ten years before taking A&P for my nursing pre-req's. I did well in the class, partially because I already knew most of the muscles/bones. I couldn't help but think, though, how difficult all of them would have been to memorize in such a short amount of time otherwise. So...I would start NOW if you have the time...learn the muscles and bones. It was really nice to not have to worry about the test on that segment!

Hopeful3 · Jul 19, 2010

I would re-write all the notes 2-3 times! Yes, you read that correctly! LOL

Also, looked at pictures so I had a way to associate it to the text and gave it more meaning.

Lastly, study, study, study.

Did I mention study??? LOL... You get the point.

NeoNurseTX, RN · Jul 19, 2010

Yeah I made my own flash cards, too...and LOTS of them!!

stillwating · Jul 19, 2010

Memorization and spending a little time with the models helped me the most. I found that spending just 20 minutes with the skeleton, and muscles made me learn the material faster than just looking at pictures (which I did as well). Good luck!! Anatomy and physiology is actually a really fun class. If you love learning about the body you will love this course.

rn/writer, RN · Jul 19, 2010

Get yourself a good medical dictionary (Taber's is one) and study the words themselves. You can figure out a lot about a term if you make a list of the basic Greek and Latin roots and definitions.

A simple example would be the word, "adrenal." If you know that in the Latin "ad" means above and "renal" refers to the kidneys, you will be able to determine that the adrenal gland sits on top of the kidneys.

If you can break down longer words and terms into their parts, you will have a leg up (pardon the pun) in not only memorizing but understanding the terminology.

I also recommend getting something called an anatomy coloring book. There are a number of versions out there. You'll have to look online or at a bookstore to see if you have a preference. They have pages upon pages of diagrams showing different body parts and systems. You whip out a box of colored pencils and learn as you go. I still have mine from many years ago.

Best wishes.

ruddergrl · Jul 19, 2010

You guys are giving me SO much good information. I sincerely thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm a full-time working mom of 2 so I REALLY want to do all I can to make my free time work FOR me with studying.

Thanks again :)