Anatomy Courses in Nursing

Jess-RN in 2006 · Dec 22, 2004

we have to take two semesters worth of A&P before we can start nursing classes.....I'm not sure how much of it we will ever use, like you said

Although I find it quite interesting I just can't see somebody coming up to me to ask me "nurse is the mucosal layer of the trachea ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelial tissue?"

I dont even remember that! LOL!!! While I get the A&P, what I dont get is why we have to take chemistry....I just took the class, barely squeaked by with the C I needed, and dont remember a darn thing he taught...talk about a waste of time....argh

newadventure · Dec 22, 2004

I think my program actually needs more physiology and pharamcology. Things like the microscopic anatomy of the GI track come in when you are trying to understand how drugs work.

purplemania, BSN, RN · Dec 22, 2004

you will probalby forget most of what you learned, but it sure helps to understand why someone with a iliostomy has nutrition deficits due to all those intestinal villi not getting to do their job. Remember, you are learning a profession, not a set of skills.

JillyT · Dec 22, 2004

I used to have this attitude of questioning too, but the more I'm learning, the more I wish I remembered!

I also wish that instructors would give a broad clinical application overview with the nitty gritty details so we can understand the importance of what we're learning.

purplemania: interesting...can you explain the nutritional defecit?

dave1117 · Dec 22, 2004

How can you be a "GOOD" clinical nurse without understanding "WHY" something happens. If it was as easy as just being given a list of signs and symptoms and another list of interventions anyone could be a nurse. In order to diagnose from a nurses prospective and also be able to help your patients by "helping" the doctors see things that they may have missed, you need this understanding right on down to a cellular level. This question and its content have been covered several times in these threads and I can never believe that "Nursing" students are asking if Anatomy and Physiology are necesary. How about Microbiology. If think A&P is worthless than Micro will seem twice as worthless. And when you think that Glycolysis and Electron Transport are worthless information I say you will never be a truly "GOOD" nurse.

Now with all that said, the best nurses I know and the best nursing students I associate with are always asking "WHY" something happens. They don't take it for granted. And when you understand "WHY" something happens the whole process makes sense and it becomes much easier to understand.

Give it some thought...

Happy Holidays and good luck in '05.

Dave :)

dave1117 · Dec 22, 2004

The nutritional deficit spoken about would occur due to the fact that Proteins and fats are digested in the small intestine and if they are removed in the ilium before having the chance to completely digest a nutritional deficit would occur. I am guessing based on my knowledge of A&P...

dave

Jess-RN in 2006 · Dec 22, 2004

Can I say that I 100% understand why we have A&P? I would have been so lost this semester if it werent for all that A&P, but I'm going to defend my stance on the chemistry by saying that my school is the only diploma nursing school program in our state that requires it. Even some of the faculty are trying to get it taken out of the cirriculum....I loved anatomy, every minute of it, although there are alot of things I dont remember. But I'm sure as I continue my education it will make more sense to me. It is a very important part of our education....

dave1117 · Dec 22, 2004

DO you folks need Microbiology?

And if you do you will never understand Micro without Chemistry...

Jess-RN in 2006 · Dec 22, 2004

yes, I already took Micro before I took chemistry, and understood it just fine. I did better in Micro than I did in Chem.....

Altra, BSN, RN · Dec 22, 2004

I'm going to defend my stance on the chemistry by saying that my school is the only diploma nursing school program in our state that requires it. Even some of the faculty are trying to get it taken out of the cirriculum....I loved anatomy, every minute of it, although there are alot of things I dont remember. But I'm sure as I continue my education it will make more sense to me. It is a very important part of our education....

Hi Jess ... my diploma program in PA doesn't include chem in the curriculum because it's a pre-req.

Hang in there guys ... once you get into the nitty-gritty of pharmacology you'll know exactly why you spent so much time on this stuff. To put it simply, all the action is at the cellular level.

Dave1117, I couldn't agree more ... what's the point of knowing what to do if you don't know why you're doing it?

meandragonbrett · Dec 22, 2004

I took A&P I,II, and Micro before Chemistry and had no trouble in any of them.