Anatomy is pretty darn hard.

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This is my first time in Anatomy. I think it's interesting but I would say I'm struggling (getting F+/ D-). It kinda blows there's no extra day or two for my teacher to spend the whole class day reviewing. I would really love that. Did I study for the exams? Yeah, in fact I thought I would do well on my last test. Everytime I am confident, i do bad...it's weird! When my teacher wrote out the number of students students who recieved A, B, C, D, F, I was one of the two students who got an F. :yawn::banghead: But I am not dropping the class yet (hopefully I wont). I still have 2 more chances before the drop day. I have an exam this Thurs on muscles (gahhh freakin latin terms. btw real pictures face muscle gross me out. I wish they didnt so I would dare opening the book) and 5 essays for Political Science to write that are due on Friday:crying2: then it's SPRING BREAK!!!!!!:yeah:

Wish me luck:bowingpur

If I hadn't had the "pleasure" of taking organic chemistry I & II, physics, and whole mess of upper level biology courses before I decided to switch to nursing... I probably wouldn't know how to study for A&P (which I am finishing up now as pre-reqs). You sound like other students I know in my class, who are for the first time, experiencing a course as demanding as this. You can memorize all you want, but you probably won't do well until you actually understand it. "Understanding" material comes from comparing notes to text, doing some research on your on if there's a topic you don't quite get. Take a more holistic approach and everytime you learn a new concept, step back and look at the big picture. Everything will start to make sense, and even have meaning. Once you have an "ah" moment, you'll want to go back for more. Definitely don't give up.. but it sounds like you really need to step it up (like A's on the next tests) to bring up your grade.

Good luck!

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm sorry that you are having trouble with the class. Anatomy is a completely different type of monster. As another poster said, you have to learn how to study for this class.

I did very well in the class, and I would like to share a couple of tips with you.

  1. Bring a tape-recorder, tape the lectures, and listen to them in the car or while on the treadmill, etc.
  2. Go to the open labs and study! This hands-on practice was the most helpful.
  3. I used this site EXTENSIVELY. It is loaded with tons of useful tool to practice while I was at home. http://faculty.sdmiramar.edu/dtrubovitz/anatomy/ :redbeathe

Also, even if you don't think you will pass, stay in class until the final drop date. You can only be helped by exposure to all this new information.

Best of Luck.

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Nursing schools ARE VERY selective because so many people apply for the available spots. It is pretty tough to gain entrance without really good grades, especially in the sciences. Most schools look very closely at your grades in anatomy and physiology and microbiology because they are considered "predictors" for how well a student will do in the nursing classes.

You got some really good advice from the poster who said to drop this class on the last day that you can, without this class showing on your transcript. Schools don't look too kindly where people have taken the class over and over to get an A. It's like a black mark against you, and you will be competing against lots of people who got an A or B taking the class the first time.

If you have to, take Anatomy with no other classes. It's just intense, and requires LOTS and LOTS of time spent in study, there's just no way around it.

Do ask other students at your college about the various instructors who teach anatomy and find out who is considered the best teacher if there is more than one. You will learn better from the "better" teacher, and this will reflect in your grade, so check out what instructors are teaching your class.

LAST but not least, you might consider taking this class fall quarter instead of summer. You could take it summer quarter, but remember, summer is a short quarter, usually 9 weeks instead of the usual 11 or 12, and the substantial volume you need to learn is just compressed further into a shorter period of time. If you have good support at home, and can focus on anatomy to the exclusion of all else, then you might be able todo it.

And yes, Anatomy IS complex, detailed and huge. It's also hugely important for you to understand in order to be a good nurse.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide.:redpinkhe

Oh, something I did was to bring my digital camera to lab and photograph the plastic models, the cats, the slices of brain, basically anything that could be used for test material for lab, and then I studied those pics, and practiced pointing and naming all the different parts. Lots of people also recorded lectures using a digital recorder, and then listened to that lecture again immediately after class, and that reinforced what they just heard in class. That works, too.

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Hey Alll.

Thanks for the tips and inputs. I think most of you are right about me not studying smart enough. I realize that too. On the lab portion of the exam, the majority answers I wrote were taken 1/2 pts off (A correct answer gets pull one point) so that tells me I'm not completely dumb. Today Im gonna use diagrams a poster has provided to identify/study the structures and find the translation behind the latin words. I found out the translations for certain latin words and it helped. WHY DIDNT I DO THAT AT FIRST?! Well I am still gonna try my best for the upcoming excam and study as much as I can. Thanks everyone!

btw, my school's drop date shows a W on the transcript :( However, retaking it erases it :)

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Hey Alll.

Thanks for the tips and inputs. I think most of you are right about me not studying smart enough. I realize that too. On the lab portion of the exam, the majority answers I wrote were taken 1/2 pts off (A correct answer gets pull one point) so that tells me I'm not completely dumb. Today Im gonna use diagrams a poster has provided to identify/study the structures and find the translation behind the latin words. I found out the translations for certain latin words and it helped. WHY DIDNT I DO THAT AT FIRST?! Well I am still gonna try my best for the upcoming excam and study as much as I can. Thanks everyone!

btw, my school's drop date shows a W on the transcript :( However, retaking it erases it :)

Double check on that.

A "W" in no way negatively affects your GPA or transcript.

I also have never seen a single school in my life remove all evidence that you have enrolled in a class before.

So if you got a D and then retook the class and got an A...the D would not be calculated in your GPA, the A would as a replacement, but on your trascript the GRADE that you received for that semester? It is a part of your permanent record.

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It's tough but you can do it. Follow the advice here of getting with the teacher and hearing that person's advice. Get a coloring book for sure. Well worth the time and effort. Try studying with a partner. Get a tutor. Do whatever you have to do to pass.

Anatomy is the basis of Nursing, I guess, certainly a majorly important topic. Physiology is vital, too. It's what separates the professional nurse from the unlicensed staff or even the practical nurse, perhaps. Not sure how much A&P they study. No putdown intended of LPN's.

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Specializes in NICU.

I did well in the class, but I studied every day and for hours. Honestly, I put more time in that class than any other class I've taken. There was just so much to cover. The other suggestions are good; flash cards are what got me through. If you can figure out what kind of learner you are (visual, tactile, auditory) that should give you a good start.

Don't give up. You'll get there. A lot of people in my class were taking the class over.

I taped the lectures and listened to them as I reviewed my notes and was surprised at how much material I hadn't picked up the first time around.

Just think of how proud you'll be when you finally get through :).

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice.

I must be weird.. I LOVED Anatomy! I got a 95 for the class. I think what helped me was I worked as a transcriptionist for 5 years before nursing school, so I had to learn the vocabulary, body parts, etc. in order to pass my transcriptionist class. I studied a lot even though I did think it was easy. I didn't get the coloring book, but I did make flash cards. I reviewed them and when I was done with one card, they went into one of 3 piles: Know it, Know it some, and Don't know at all.... then I'd take the Know it pile and disregard it. I'd review all of the Know it some pile, and either file it in know it or don't know it. I didn't stop studying until I had every card in the Know it pile. Basically, Anatomy is all memorization.

Good luck to you!

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Hopefull is right; they will not remove a grade from your transcript, as it is a permanent record (unfortunately I know this from experience). A "W" is not considered a grade and does not harm your GPA.

Does your class offer open lab sessions? Does your school offer any type of tutoring assistance? Or are there other students who are interested in studying together? Have you spoken with your instructor about your difficulties? Even if you are planning on dropping, go in to speak with your instructor. See what suggestion you can get from him/her. It will only benefit you the next time you take the class.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

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Forgot to add (and it won't let me edit for some reason):

Maybe you are getting bogged down in the memorization of everything, without seeing the big picture; which is easy to do in anatomny. Is there an anatomy-physiology combined class that you can take? It might help you to better understand how it all fits and works together.

Also, whomever said to not retake in the summer is right on. It is too short of a time period, especially if you are struggling. Retake in the fall, when you can dedicate more time. Use the summer to study flash cards, etc so that you can get a jump on the class.

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I agree with most of the other posters. You CANNOT let a D or F show up on your transcript...probably not that great to get a C either. Around here you pretty much need As and Bs in A & P to get into nursing school...and even the applicants with mixed As and Bs aren't assured a spot.

At my school it is possible to change your grading "type" during the quarter, for instance you can choose: letter grade, pass/no pass, or audit. If they allow you to, I would change the grading type to audit, because this allows you continue to taking the class and getting feedback on your performance without risking getting a low grade. If you do well enough on the "audit" then perhaps you could retake it for a "real grade" in the summer, but if you get a C or less on the audit then I wouldn't take the class in the condensed summer course, I would wait until fall.

As long as you've paid for the class, you may as well get the benefit of learning from it. I'm not sure if you're allowed to continue to attend the class if you actually drop it...but you could always talk with the instructor about this and if they are reasonable they would probably let you.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice.

My old Uni let you do a Credit, No Record.. which meant if you passed, you got the credits but there is no record of a grade. Is that an option for you?

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