Anatomy and physiology HELP NURSING SCHOOL

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Jul 20, 2007

I think what you'll find is that a lot of nursing study requires a knowledge of A&P. Which means that either the instructors will go over what you need to know OR they'll assume you know it. In my experience, it's the latter. It's why A&P is a pre-req for so many programs; they want that out of the way. It's a good idea, I think, to study your nursing content with an A&P book open nearby. Your entire practice will be built upon knowledge of the human body. You're gonna need to know this stuff...

MikeyJ, RN · Jul 20, 2007

I don't think the anatomy portion is that important for nursing school. Those anatomical points that are specific in nursing school are fairly straight forward and will not go nearly indepth as you did in your anatomy lab.

However, physiology is imperative for nursing school, especially for pathophysiology and pharmacology. If you do not understand the normal physiology in the body, it is pretty hard to understand the pathophysiology and how different drugs method of action work on the body.

That being said, I am betting you know a heck of a lot more A&P then you think. It is hard to comprehend that you learned that much, but I can guarantee you that when you start studying pathophysiology and the mechanisms of drugs on the body, you will begin to recall loads of information from A&P. I started nursing school only 2 months ago, and I took A&P Fall of 2005 and Spring of 2006 -- it was well over a year between A&P and nursing school and I can attest that I am having no troubles whatsoever.

Be confident in yourself and what you have learned -- don't doubt yourself so much. :)

araujojr · Jul 20, 2007

What chapters (A&P) do you most recommend to review for pathophysiology?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2007

yes, you will pass nursing school with the modest amount of knowledge that you remember from your a&p class. take it from someone who has been an rn for a long time and a student for many, many years. . .don't thrown your anatomy and physiology textbook(s) away. you will need them for reference and review. no one expects you to have remembered everything from your a&p class unless you are some kind of genius which i am assuming you are not. however, instructors at every college i've ever attended do expect you to recognize subjects and to go back to your old textbooks and notes and refresh your memory about them if you have gaps. ever been in an instructor's office? did you see all those books they have? they are not there for decoration. they are there for the instructor's reference because no one can remember everything they read.

the same holds true if you had a class in pathophysiology (some schools call this class "disease process"). if you didn't have to take this class, then it is logical to assume that the pathophysiology is going to be included and given to you as part of the nursing curriculum of study. it was in my original nursing program. when we studied diabetes, for example, we were lectured over what went wrong in the pancreas (this is the pathophysiology) to cause the diabetes to occur. we were told to review the normal anatomy and physiology of the pancreas if we didn't remember all of it. those who were lazy and didn't, never got a good understanding of it.

in nursing school you will be shown how the normal anatomy and physiology, the pathophysiology, and the doctor's plan of treatment and tests all merge together with the nursing interventions you will learn work together to help the patient. this is part of the critical thinking component of nursing that you will hear students talk about on the forums. i would be very careful of believing any student who tries to get you to believe that any pre-requisite classes you are required to take are not going to be of any use to you as a nursing student. these people, obviously, haven't learned how to think and process information which is what you are going to be expected to start knowing how to do by the time you graduate from nursing school. as you go into practice as a graduate nurse you start to develop and hone that skill. one of the most valuable lessons you learn in school is where to find information when you need it.

araujojr · Jul 20, 2007

thanks daytonite.... I was worried I needed to know everything I learned from A&P :)

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2007

thanks daytonite.... I was worried I needed to know everything I learned from A&P :)

Ha! Ha! If we were all able to know and recall on the spot everything we ever studied and learned, we'd all be in the Guiness Book of World Records for holding some kind of world record!!!! Nothing would be a mystery anymore!!!! All the secrets of life would be known by us all!!!! We probably wouldn't even have any need for schools anymore!!!!

lvnhopeful · Jul 21, 2007

Hello Jrodri,:welcome:

I just started nursing school, along with 59 other students. Some of us have A&P under our belts (me for one) and others do not. The teachers are going over everything so that we understand whats going on. A lot of stuff we are learning is repeated in different classes. Nursing fundementals repeats a lot of anatomy. One of the teachers is a little more brusque and confuses those with no previous experience, but it seems that we are all catching on.

I was fearful because I thought I couldn't remember anything, other than a few bones and anatomical terms. Turns out that as we go through the material memories are coming back. Hang in there and you will be fine.

There are a lot of websites that you can use to bone up on. One of my instructors gave us the address for cellsalive.com. Its simplistic, but it might help. I also reviewed my books before class started to get a little head start. You might consider forming a study group too, if you can find the time.

Good luck on your classes!

momathoner09, BSN, MSN, APRN · Jul 21, 2007

I am a second degree student and had my A&P a few years before I started NS. While I think it may have helped having it sooner, I don't think it has hurt me. The textbook we have always does a quick chapeter review of A&P if you need it. Our instructors always hit the high points of the A&P we need to know for each section (esp w/endocrine!)

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Jul 24, 2007

I was worried about this same thing going into my Patho class but when things get mentioned, a lightbulb will go off in your head and I bet it all will come back to you. That's what happened to me. I did hang on to my A&P book to help me through some tough stuff but I've only referred back to it maybe twice the whole semester. Don't worry, you'll remember!

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jul 24, 2007

Ready for some honesty...

I am AWFUL at A&P. I just never had it sink in. I mean I understood it but as soon as I learned it...I forgot it. I'm making it through. This summer I have decided to review my A&P book. I'm not reading it all but I am reviewing the systems and bones and muscles. I figure it can't hurt.

I'm entering my senior year. I know you can get through when you didn't really absorb A&P if you are willing to accept that you might need more explanation and maybe a little more reviewing/studying during certain areas.

MB37 · Jul 25, 2007

OP - do you still have your book? If not, try to find an older edition of any college level A&P for review. I just finished my first semester of NS, and ours includes Pharm and Patho. Both of our instructors assumed knowledge of A&P and didn't review it much, and both books had brief sections reviewing more the physio than the anatomy or each system before learning drugs/diseases. That being said, whenever I studied I had not only my assigned books but also my old A&P, Nutrition, and an old copy of a Fundamentals book that I happen to have within arms reach. I looked things up all the time, or used them to clarify/add to my notes. Like others have said, in NS you want to have more than one resource to look things up in, and some outside reading is usually expected. You don't need to memorize it all, but should still have access to the information.