Anatomy is kicking my butt.. Do I even stand a chance?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Ok, so I've already taken my first written exam and practical and i did ok. I got a B+ on both of them. Last week, I took my second lab practical of the semester and again, I did okay. Probably another B+ (i should mention that I was disappointed that it wasn't an A).

Overall, i'm doing fine in the class.

At the moment, I'm studying for my second written exam and I just feel so overwhelmed with the amount of material. My instructor isn't very considerate so that might have something to do with the fact that it seems like i'm always having to cram. Last week multiple people asked when the written exam was (since earlier he mentioned that it would be different than what was on the syllabus) and all he'd say was "I'll have to see"

So now, it's coming up and I'm just trying to cram it all. I'm able to sit here and just study all day and get a fine grade. BUT, the only thing that I can think of is that I must be kidding myself thinking that i could handle the workload of nursing school. Especially an ABSN program (with a BA in sociology). Does anyone have any thoughts?

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Hang in there girl, you are doing just fine! I personally found anatomy to be my most difficult subject of all the pre-reqs and I struggled far more in that class than I am in any of my current classes as a Junior year nursing student in a BSN program.

My story is a little bit different than the normal track to nursing school, I took a very long time to figure out what I wanted to be and in the process destroyed my GPA at a community college for my first few years out of high school. I took a break, moved across the country, and picked up again at a different community college with a new focus: nursing. For the first time in my entire education I was getting straight A's and feeling good. That is until I began my anatomy course, and failed my first two practicals with little hope of passing. I just about gave up, I felt I couldn't possibly have what it takes to be a nurse if I can't get past this class. I had to try new ways of studying but I eventually overcame the struggle.

I promise, the first time being introduced to anatomy content is overwhelming for so many students but it DOES stick over time and you will overcome the hurdle. Just keep persevering! I am confident you will be able to handle nursing school workload, it is a different kind of workload than the pre-reqs but it IS manageable. You CAN do this!

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Wow. Thank you so much for your response. It definitely took off some of the burden for me :)

And thank you for sharing your story.. I love learning about journey of others. It really means a lot to hear the perspective of someone who is well into their BSN program. I'm going to take your word for it, and just keep on keepin on.

Congratulations for getting to the point that you're at now, I hope to be there myself one day :)

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My best advice is to hang in there. Anatomy is simple all about memorization. The nursing program classes won't be the same. I am a senior nursing student in a BSN program graduating in a little over a month. I remember going through anatomy thinking this was the hardest class I've ever taken and how will I survive. Nursing school is totally different. Use flash cards, pictures, coloring books, whatever helps! You will get through and don't let this discourage you. Good luck!

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Seriously, your response came at a perfect time as I'm studying for my exam tomorrow!

How many hours do you spend studying for your classes typically?

This is my only class that i'm taking and i'm literally studying all day for it.

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The last semester in my program doesn't consist of any classes. You have your senior practicum and that's it. But throughout the program I probably studied an average of 10-12 hours per week. The content is very different from your pre nursing classes. As your progress the information stays the same and you build on top of what you generally learn your first year as your foundation. The pre nursing part is a lot you're learning how to study, a lot of unfamiliar concepts. But don't let it make you doubt the process! After this it will be well worth it!

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I'm having sort of the same problem with my microbiology. It's just SO MUCH material. We're doing a chapter a class, and every four chapters is a test. Two lab practicals a month. I have a 90 in the class by the skin of my teeth.

If your instructor isn't that useful, is there a tutoring center at your school? Go there a LOT. If you can, stay after class to streamline your notes and re-write them neatly when it's still fresh in your mind (this is some of the best advice I ever got.) Flashcards are a must. Khan Academy has really good videos for it, too. Don't get discouraged, A&P is the most memorization-heavy class of all. Nursing school is much more about theory and application. Hang in there!

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Yeah sometimes I just get so discouraged because of the amount of assignments you get in nursing school. I'm only taking that single anatomy course and it feels like a lot. But plenty of people do it so I'm sure it's possible!

Thank you for all the tips!! I'll definitely look up videos on Kahn academy!

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So now, it's coming up and I'm just trying to cram it all.

That's pretty much A&P. That's normal. Nobody completely learns that in 2 semesters of school. There's a reason that very cheap medical anatomy books exist. And it's going to be the same with nursing. Nobody completely learns to be a nurse in 1,2, or 4 years of school. You learn through years of actually being a nurse.

You're doing fine. Any applied science based college program isn't the kind of structured studying you're used to. It's giving you as much information as possible in a very short amount of time. The next couple years for you is going to be cramming. You're doing fine now, you'll do fine in nursing school.

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Hi Diana!

Sounds like the professor isn't really on track with his materials..A&P is a thick course, but you sound like you are doing good. It's hard to get A's sometimes in prereqs for nursing, especially if the professor is randomly assigning a big test. I went through a similar situation with Anatomy & Phys II, I took it over the summer for 8 weeks, online. I was in agony over the 130 question exams and the lack of lecturing from the professor. I was told to just look at the book and do the assignments. I did squeak by with an "A", but it felt like hell! Moral of the story: pre-reqs for nursing school are meant to challenge & weed out the weaker students before nursing school. It is going to challenge you but you just have to work through it! It is a great place to develop and hone study skills for nursing school! These are all foundational courses to nursing so the workload will feel intense, don't stress :)

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