Best to take Phys right after Anatomy?

Sadea12 · Nov 14, 2011

I would recommend taking phy right after taking anatomy because they go hand in hand and everything will stay fresh in your mind. If you take Chem in between you might forget some of the anatomy and it will just make it that much harder.

leenak · Nov 14, 2011

I would say taking A&P close to eachother. I also don't think Chem is hard although I think some people stress about it.

aachavez · Nov 14, 2011

Definetly take A&P close. They relate so much to eachother. I love that in Florida we have A&P 1 and A&P 2, instead of being separate like you have. I would say that difficulty wise A&P and chem are about the same. Also, I dont like online classes. I thought it would be easier, but I was soooo wrong. I'd rather have lecture in class, where I can ask questions, etc. I will have a few of those blended lab courses as well, and I'm nervous about it, but its the only course offered at my school....

BellasMommyOBRN · Nov 14, 2011

absolutely! take physiology next.

Cortisol · Nov 14, 2011

I think that taking Physiology next would make the most sense.

Be careful with taking Physiology online. Physiology is very conceptual, and you may have a lot of questions as you go through the course. If you do choose to take it online, be sure that there is somewhere on campus you can go for help (either instructor office hours, on-campus tutoring center, etc). Physiology is the foundation you need for the pathophysiology you will learn in nursing school.

Online courses can be challenging if they involve conceptual learning. I'm not saying that taking physiology online is impossible, but I could see how it could be extremely frustrating if you don't understand something and you can't get an adequate explanation.

willowita, ADN, RN · Nov 15, 2011

I'm going against the grain here but I think taking chem before physiology would be better. No one is going to ask you to identify foraminas or insertions in physiology. You're not going to spontaneously forget where the organs are or basic cellular structure. When you jump into physiology, the anatomy that is relevant will come back to you, and the textbook will give you all the info you need on the anatomy part of it. You'll remember it as you see it again.

The reason I think chem is important is that if things like ions, osmolarity, basic organic compounds, etc are brand new to you, it's going to be hard to figure out what is happening in physiology. After all, phys is not the what and where something is, but rather, how it works with various biological processes. I would definitely recommend chem first if you're going to take physiology as an online course, where you may not get all the explanation you need.

LiLev · Nov 15, 2011

Are you considering Gen Chem or O Chem First? I agree some chemistry would be helpful but you've probably already taken Gen Chem as a prereq to Micro and Gen Chem is enough chemistry to get through Physiology. I took Physiology before Anatomy and that was difficult but I still managed an A so if your a good student you should be fine. Lots of good lectures on YouTube as well for online. Unfortunately we can't use online classes at any nursing schools in CA. Good luck.

kaya767 · Nov 15, 2011

Thanks for all the replies. Lilev, I have not taken Gen Chem yet and have no basic chemistry knowledge (I'm back in school after 15 years, and I was an English major before). So maybe it would be best to take Gen Chem first? Also, I am in CA as well and have never heard that nursing schools here don't accept online classes? I'm surprised because the community college I'm enrolled in is offering a lot of online classes.

Cortisol, the hybrid class I'm looking at has 3 hours of in-person lab per week, so I'm thinking that questions could be answered during the lab. There is also a free tutoring lab at the school. Maybe it would be best to see a counselor or email the professor to find out more about how it's structured.