Auscultating Heart?!

[SweetSouthernLove, ASN, BSN]

So I have a question: I am learning about the heart and how to auscultate each sound properly. Now my question is this:

When I look in my book it states: (FOR ANATOMICAL POSITION IN THE HEART)

AV valves:

Tricuspid on the RIGHT

Mitral on the LEFT

SL valves:

Pulmonic on the RIGHT

Aortic on the LEFT

I am in first term and we are just now beginning how to properly auscultate the chest. My question is that when I learned the auscultation sites it is completely backwards to me. It says in my notes:

Auscultate:

AV valves:

Tricuspid on the 4th/5th ICS on the LEFT of the sternum

Mitral on the midclavicular line

SL valves:

Pulmonic on the 2nd ICS on the LEFT

Aortic on the 2nd ICS on the RIGHT

Being as this is completely backwards from everything else I have looked up in my notes my instructor told me to remember APTM. I want to know if my auscultation locations are correct and if it is in fact reversed locations from their anatomical positions. Is this an auscultation thing to hear the valves in a better location? Am I missing something? Any feedback would be wonderful! Thank you!

[loving2024, BSN, RN]

It is not in reverse position. If you look at the position of the heart with the ribs you will notice that the heart is not straight, it is diagonal. now trace the valves to the ICS, you will see that they are in fact in the anatomical position.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

We were told apetm. Aortic then pulmonic, down to erbs point, then tricuspid, and mitral. You will listen to everything on the left of the sternum except for aortic which will be right. The pp is correct that the heart is diagonal in the thoracic cavity. When you originally learned this in A&P you basically look at the heart straight on, not how it is positioned in the body itself.