Anatomy

Amber27 · Jul 30, 2014

Sorry if this posted twice, it is showing I didn't post it the last time.

I signed up for A&P over the summer& just wasn't able to keep up no matter what I did. I studied non stop, spent about $200 on study material. My instructor suggested I take hem separately so I will be in anatomy in the fall. I am needing some study tips so I can hopefully be successful this semester.

RN403, BSN, RN · Jul 30, 2014

Everything you have already mentioned sounds great. Try to use the lab as much as you can if your instructor offers open lab hours. Also, I used Google Body which I believe is called Zygote Body now. It is free and it is like a 3D model of the human body that you can switch to the skeleton, muscles, organs, etc. I found it very helpful because you can't take the lab home with you, but this was like the next best thing.

Good Luck!

Amber27 · Jul 30, 2014

That was the difficult part to is trying to figure out where it would be on the skeleton in class compared to the book sometimes since it wasn't 3D. I will look that up!

Thank you

Jeniele, ADN, RN · Jul 30, 2014

Sorry if this posted twice, it is showing I didn't post it the last time.
I signed up for A&P over the summer& just wasn't able to keep up no matter what I did. I studied non stop, spent about $200 on study material. My instructor suggested I take hem separately so I will be in anatomy in the fall. I am needing some study tips so I can hopefully be successful this semester.

I guess I'm slightly confused, were you taking an accelerated summer class, taking something else with it, or not that I've even seen this in my region, but having two classes anatomy as one and physiology as another? If it's accelerated, I'd never suggest that. Anatomy is just too much to cover in such a brief period of time, though I'm sure there are individuals out there that can easily manage. I'm not one of those. The schools I have been around have all been A&P as as single class with lab for one letter grade. Credits depended on whether the school was on terms or semesters. Since the crux of your situation involves not being able to keep up, I'd suggest taking it by itself if financial aid / scholarships allow. Anatomy is challenging, nursing school I believe is more so but finding your groove in anatomy paves the road so to speak.

As for study skills, everyone has to find their niche. Traditional methods don't generally work for me and I'm not blessed with a photographic memory. I had to re-take A&P a year ago because it had been 10 years since I took it during my undergrad program. The schools in the state I lived in at the time all had sundown policies on certain pre-reqs. While I had some advantage in having taken it before, I still had to relearn all the details. Flash cards don't work for me. What did work was answering and writing out every end of section and chapter review question. My texts also had online resources with sample tests,fill in the blank, labeling exercises, and videos. I read every page and did every online resource. It sucked, it took a ton of time but in the end I felt confident and got an A. I was spending multiple hours daily studying and my kids got used to the "not now, I'm studying" reply. I just took it one term at a time. For the lab where there was so much to memorize I made copies of the structures from my text and marked out the labels and then made tons of copies to fill in the blank (tailoring it to exactly what we would be tested on). Fill ins work best for me, but doing it once isn't enough...I had to do it twenty times for it to stick. For muscles I made a chart in excel with a image of the muscle (thanks Flash Anatomy and google!) in one cell, then longer cells that allowed me to fill in origin, insertion, and action by hand. Again, with the twenty or so copies. Amazingly I got through without carpal tunnel. Also I took advantage of open lab times with my instructor. Sitting in a lab looking at models doesn't usually help me but what made the time valuable was interacting with class mates and the instructor in Q&A sessions. Being able to reiterate what I knew to a fellow student to answer their question or hearing the instructor explain it again helped to cement the idea.

I hope my experiences help you and give you some ideas for success in fall. Also if your instructor provides power point slides, I found it easiest to take notes directly on them in lecture; either by printing out or filling in electronically via a laptop or tablet. Good luck!

Amber27 · Jul 30, 2014

Yeah I was explaining I took A&P over the summer as a 7-8 week class. It was insane I just couldn't keep up no matter what. So my school does offer them separate and I'm able to do that since I pay out of pocket anyways.

I hadn't tried flash cards, but making the exercises and doing the end of chapter reviews is something I should try this time around. Once I am out of training at work I'm hoping to go to class early but the first few weeks I will be getting there right on time due to the end time of training. My summer class we didn't really have "lab" it was more just a study time, is that common ? I thought most actually did stuff during lab.

AZQuik · Jul 30, 2014

A&P is pretty much straight memorization.

MAKE your own flash cards and take em with you everywhere. Use them all the time, and I mean all the time. In line at the bank, while eating, before bed, everywhere. That's how I got through 8 week a&p classes.

BSN GCU 2014. Waiting to take my boards.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

dt70 · Jul 30, 2014

For my two semesters of A&P I used; school textbook, class notes, recorded lectures, mastering A&P website, A&P revealed 3, Quizlet, and two university websites, Human Anatomy Lab :: Resources , Anatomy and Physiology

You can also do a search on this site for a lot of resources and links.

Good luck in Fall semester.

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · Jul 31, 2014

what helped me in my fast track summer chemistry class was doing the chapter review questions and homework problems, having a study partner, biology tutor at the success center, and flashcards :)

i will be taking fast track science classes this fall...nervous because it's a&p, phy, and micro in one semester, but i feel like the summer classes helped get me a little prepare.

DLewis.RN2b, ASN, BSN, LPN · Jul 31, 2014

Anatomy online game sites helped me greatly!

Amber27 · Jul 31, 2014

Which sites did you use?

Natasha A., CNA, LVN · Jul 31, 2014

I guess I'm slightly confused, were you taking an accelerated summer class, taking something else with it, or not that I've even seen this in my region, but having two classes anatomy as one and physiology as another? If it's accelerated, I'd never suggest that. Anatomy is just too much to cover in such a brief period of time, though I'm sure there are individuals out there that can easily manage. I'm not one of those. The schools I have been around have all been A&P as as single class with lab for one letter grade. Credits depended on whether the school was on terms or semesters. Since the crux of your situation involves not being able to keep up, I'd suggest taking it by itself if financial aid / scholarships allow. Anatomy is challenging, nursing school I believe is more so but finding your groove in anatomy paves the road so to speak.
As for study skills, everyone has to find their niche. Traditional methods don't generally work for me and I'm not blessed with a photographic memory. I had to re-take A&P a year ago because it had been 10 years since I took it during my undergrad program. The schools in the state I lived in at the time all had sundown policies on certain pre-reqs. While I had some advantage in having taken it before, I still had to relearn all the details. Flash cards don't work for me. What did work was answering and writing out every end of section and chapter review question. My texts also had online resources with sample tests,fill in the blank, labeling exercises, and videos. I read every page and did every online resource. It sucked, it took a ton of time but in the end I felt confident and got an A. I was spending multiple hours daily studying and my kids got used to the "not now, I'm studying" reply. I just took it one term at a time. For the lab where there was so much to memorize I made copies of the structures from my text and marked out the labels and then made tons of copies to fill in the blank (tailoring it to exactly what we would be tested on). Fill ins work best for me, but doing it once isn't enough...I had to do it twenty times for it to stick. For muscles I made a chart in excel with a image of the muscle (thanks Flash Anatomy and google!) in one cell, then longer cells that allowed me to fill in origin, insertion, and action by hand. Again, with the twenty or so copies. Amazingly I got through without carpal tunnel. Also I took advantage of open lab times with my instructor. Sitting in a lab looking at models doesn't usually help me but what made the time valuable was interacting with class mates and the instructor in Q&A sessions. Being able to reiterate what I knew to a fellow student to answer their question or hearing the instructor explain it again helped to cement the idea.
I hope my experiences help you and give you some ideas for success in fall. Also if your instructor provides power point slides, I found it easiest to take notes directly on them in lecture; either by printing out or filling in electronically via a laptop or tablet. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips!! I will be taking a fast track science course which includes a&p/phy/micro in one semester.. so i will be using your tips :)