Any A&P II study tips?

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Luckily I had a very organized anatomy I prof. Last semester and made a B in that class. However, this time I NEED an A no excuses! But I'm a bit ADD and have a hard time staying organized. What was your experience like with A&P II? How did you study? And what was the difficulty in that class compared to A&P I?

Thanks guys :)

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For me, it was just as easy as A&P I.

As the old adage goes, see one, do one, teach one. Statistics say that we learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we see, 30% of what we hear, 50% of what we see and hear and 70% of what we teach!

So what I do to make material stick is teach! This could be by joining a study group or simply pretending to teach a class (that's what I do).

What I do is go to lecture, take VERY thorough notes, study at home, then get my white board out and pretend to present a lecture about what I just studied.

I nearly received 100%s in both A&P I and II using this extremely simple method!

You'd be surprised at how much it really helps! Teaching is one of the best ways to master material. Good luck!!

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My Classes were separate. Anatomy by itself one semester and physiology by itself the next. I loved them both and managed to get an A in both classes while my friends barely got D's. For both of my classes my prof. gave ALOT of notes. They would tell you you could just study the notes. One thing that helped me that I know my friends didn't do is that I read the text book Chapter by Chapter (Painful), none of them brought their books. It gave a great understanding of the material (what are they for?). and note cards were my best friend. I would read them out loud repeatedly, not just one time. Anatomy is just learning about what something is and where it is located while in physiology you have to remember how this other system affects the next system... it like a big chain reaction ...which was a big change and difficult for me but i caught on quickly

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I also know these ADHD difficulties... I wish I knew how to get past them the first time I took A&P I... anyway, I'm taking A&P II this fall but I've found that reviewing and preparing over the summer helps me get ready for all of my courses. You might want to take advantage of online resources like Khan Academy, iTunes U, and MOOC sites like Coursera and edX. I'll be watching many of these lectures this summer but also during the fall semester as a supplement to lectures and reading that don't quite cut it for the level of detail I need to fully grasp the process or part. That being said, I'm only taking one pre-req each semester since I have many done from my first degree, so I will probably have more time on my hands to use these resources than a student with a full load of courses. Just know that if you're struggling with something and benefit from listening / watching lectures, these are all available to you at any time! As for organization, I always put everything into binder sections, with my lab manual parts in one page protector sleeve, handwritten notes in another, and anything passed out in class in a third part. A 2.5" or 3" binder is useful for all of this. I also saw something really cool on what to do with texts, like cutting the pages out of the binding with a razor and dividing the book into the parts you're going to read together. I think I'll do that with A&P II, and that way I can just have the reading sections in my binder too!

I'll put some links here just for ease of access and update when I find new, useful resources (for all pre-reqs, not just A&P II):

Khan Academy

Health / Medicine Videos

Multiple videos per section- note the circulatory, respiratory, renal, musculoskeletal, endocrine, hematologic, immune, and nervous system sections. These all have great videos that are very well explained and go into quite a bit of detail!

Biology

Great videos on cells and cell functions including cellular respiration (if you struggle with understanding this part, watch these!)

Chemistry

Everyone should be doing a chemistry pre-req, right?

Math Refresher Videos

Note: I also recommend signing up on the site and using their math learning system- it's free and goes step by step. You can start at the beginning with easy math and work your way up to harder concepts! Or you can start at your skill level and continue learning.

Early Math

Addition, subtraction, measurements, etc. Useful for remedial math courses.

Arithmetic

Highlighting the decimal and fractions sections- definitely good for those of us who struggle with fractions and need a little more instruction on them. If you follow along and do the fractions you will understand them better.

Pre-Algebra

Much like the arithmetic section, I want to highlight the fractions section and also the ratios and proportions section.

Algebra 1

Algebra 2

Probability and Statistics

Youtube

These are full lectures from 2005. Very informative and thorough lectures, though this playlist probably won't cover every section of A&P I and II.

iTunes U

There are quite a few choices for A&P on iTunes U but I'm just going to list a few schools here. Related courses (including nursing lectures) can be found as well.

Roane State CC

A&P I

A&P II

San Bernadino Valley College

Anatomy

East Tennessee State University

A&P I

A&P II

Coursera

These courses are not always open and they do not always have an open deadline for finishing quizzes. However, I've found that they are a good way to continue learning even when you're not in school!

Vital Signs: Understanding What the Body is Telling Us

So far I've found that this course provides a great way to refresh my memory on anatomy of the systems covered, as well as the physiologic functions.

There are also many courses on public health, safety, and health statistics if you're interested in that!

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Download quizlet, type in your notes. There's a little button next to all of the definitions you type that allows you to listen to them. Listen to your definitions and or notes in the car or whenever you have free time. I didn't start using this method until the last month of my pre reqs (which included APII and Micro) and I am really damn sorry that I didn't do it all through my pre reqs, would have saved myself so much time and mental exhaustion. I used to spend literally 12-15 hours making note cards for my classes. Never had to do that again after I started LISTENING to my notes. And like an above poster said, acting like your teaching the material is said to be one of the most effective ways to learn. I have sort of tried it, but I always feel weird pretty much talking to myself. You have to stay focused and make it your number one priority! I hope you get to experience the cadaver like I did because that honestly helped me understand the human body to a much greater extent.

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Stay on top of your readings. If you have a class outline, use it to read the chapter prior to the lecture corresponding with said chapter, so you can focus on the parts you didn't understand and it really will make it easier to retain. Also, review the lecture as soon as you are able to after, while it's still fresh in your mind. If there are any parts that you're still unfamiliar with, Youtube and Google will be your new friends. Make sure your looking through credible sources, though.

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I second the quizlet recommendation. If you pay a yearly fee, you can even add pictures to your flashcards which I found very helpful for my lab practicals. I am terrible with science and math and I managed to pull off an A. Good Luck with your studies.

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Stay up on all readings, never fall behind. Also, I would look for opportunites to apply what I learned to life, what you can explain to others sticks with you. The toughest parts for me were Endocrine & Respiratory. Those hormones are super important and will come up throughout A&P II, master them.

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The above suggestions are good ones: detailed notes, teaching mindset, use study groups/A&P Lab time. Beyond not falling behind, read a chapter ahead, so when that system rolls around, and you read it a second time to nail it down, it will make much more sense.

Usually 2 is more in-depth physiology than 1, so not showing up to class having already learned as much as you can from the book will put you at a distinct disadvantage. Depending on your class environment, most students will barely have looked at the material, and will expect to learn it in class. They will fail. Don't allow your class time to default to their level. Answer as many questions as the instructor will allow. Saying it goes a long way toward being able to recall it when you need to. Lecture time is for you to refine/clarify.

Neuro, Renal, Lymphatics, and Endocrinology are quite complex, and often interrelated. Sketch out flow charts, draw nephrons, don't just look at pictures.

Good luck. Don't feel shy about getting a tutor if you need to...its better and cheaper than taking it a second time.

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For me, A&P II was harder than 1. I went into II thinking it was memorization just like 1, but I was WRONG! I got a C in A&P II. Granted my grandpa died in the middle of the semester and I was taking care of him. I plan to take it next semester, but will probably do a lot better second go around because I know how to study for it. I agree with the above posters, but don't think like I did and think it will be memorization like with the bones and muscles!

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