Anatomy Class

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I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm not sure how to search old topics. My question is, how gruesome is A&P? I am just starting out (obviously if I'm only in A&P), and I paged through the lab book, and whoa... gross. I'm very worried. If I have trouble cutting open animals and pulling out their insides, does that mean I should find a new career path? I'm not trying to be a surgeon here... and giving shots and putting in IV's doesn't make me nervous at all, but the thought of cutting into a "freshly killed rabbit" as described in the lab book makes me feel slightly panicked.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

A&P wasn't gruesome for me at all. Then again, we all experience things very differently.

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Well we actually had cadavers, humans who donated their bodies to science, as what we "cut-up" and studied in AP class. If you are going to work in the ER, OR or places like that you might want to prep yourself for seeing some "gruesome" stuff. I, myself, like the gruesome stuff and find it kinda interesting.

As far as "freshly killed" rabbits, they will have been placed in some type of preserving agent I am sure. I kinda doubt someone will go wabbit hunting the night before your lab....Just kidding. Don't sweat it.

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I wasn't a fan of cutting up the fetal pig we had to diissect in lab, and this may sound strange, but I put a paper towel over the fetal pig's head thoughout the weeks I was working on it. If I didn't have to look at it's face, I concentrated on the organs and disengaged myself from the actual creature, and that helped me get through it. My professor thought it was a hoot, but who cares. It worked for me. I work on a Med-Surg floor, have no desire to see them come into the ED or cut up in the OR ... I like them cleaned up and sewn/stapled up when I get them. Don't let this get to you. It's only one little facet in your journey towards your career.

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I just graduated in Dec., and passed boards this week, so A&P is not a distant memory for me.....

We had to dissect a cat and I HATED it. I had lab on Wednesday afternoons and almost never ate dinner after! I also had several incidents during clinicals when I almost lost my cookies (cleaning up C.diff poo, dealing with GI bleeds, and pressure ulcers.) Don't worry....you'll get through it just fine. I have built up a tolerance to such unpleasentries during nursing school and so will you.

Just stay focused on why you want to be a nurse. When I have dealt with horrid smells, I would think of my patient lying helpless in the bed.....this kept things in perspective for me.

Best of luck to you!

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At our school A&P lab was more like "memorization camp" every week. We did simulated blood typing and looked at pictures of everything under the sun but no dissection. The worst (and it wasn't bad, more like interesting) was a side-by-side comparison of healthy lungs and diseased lungs. They were preserved and suspended in such a way that they could be inflated to show the necrosis.

But no rabbits, no cats, no pigs. They did that in comparitive anatomy, not A&P of humans. Cadavers were way too expensive for a state school.

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I just graduated in Dec., and passed boards this week, so A&P is not a distant memory for me.....

We had to dissect a cat and I HATED it. I had lab on Wednesday afternoons and almost never ate dinner after! I also had several incidents during clinicals when I almost lost my cookies (cleaning up C.diff poo, dealing with GI bleeds, and pressure ulcers.) Don't worry....you'll get through it just fine. I have built up a tolerance to such unpleasentries during nursing school and so will you.

Just stay focused on why you want to be a nurse. When I have dealt with horrid smells, I would think of my patient lying helpless in the bed.....this kept things in perspective for me.

Best of luck to you!

CONGRATULATIONS:balloons:

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
...I put a paper towel over the fetal pig's head thoughout the weeks I was working on it...

Several groups did the same thing with our human cadavers. It was easier to not see their faces.

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Specializes in Maternal-Fetal.
Several groups did the same thing with our human cadavers. It was easier to not see their faces.

Actually, the way it was explained to me in my anatomy class was that was a requirement to cover their faces...just in case, you know?

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Our cadaver's entire heads and their hands were wrapped in gauze; we were told it was to preserve privacy, and also because it's easier to work on them when they don't look so human. I thought it was interesting that they wrapped the hands. The face, obviously...but our instructor said they found over the years that the hands denote such humanity as well that a lot of students had problems with seeing them.

God bless the people who donated their bodies. That's all I can say. If they can't harvest my organs when I go, I want my body donated. What a gift!

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I had Anatomy a little over a year ago. I had the same concerns as you do. I was mortified to find out that we had to dissect a cow eye, sheep brain and heart, and a rat. I was seriously wondering how in the world I was going to make it through. If you didn't complete the dissections you would fail the course.

Well, I got through the cow eye, thanks to a lab partner (eyes in general just really creep me out)... and the sheep brain and heart were actually really neat to see. I learned soooo much from being able to actually see it in real life rather than in the book.

And by the time I had to dissect the rat, I just cut right into it and that was that. It was weird, almost. Once you see how serious the other students are, and how important it is to really know and understand the stuff, you will do fine.

We also had a "field trip" to the University of MN where we got to see the human cadavers. The med students were the the ones who did the dissecting, but we got to look at everything and touch it all. I even held a human heart in my hand. The faces were not covered (as some other posters were), but we had a meeting prior to the lab that dealt with being considerate of the people who donated their bodies and the issues of confidentiality.

It was the greatest class I've had (and I have a degree in another field so I've taken a few:icon_roll)...

I think you will do fine, once you get into it.

Good luck to you!

Jennifer

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Specializes in ICU.
Several groups did the same thing with our human cadavers. It was easier to not see their faces.

I just wanted to say my condolensces on the loss of your father. I lost mine as well back in April 07. Hopefully they are both up in heaven cheering us on!!!:redpinkhe

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