Confused. Whether I should drop Anatomy

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi guys

well, tomorrow is the last day to drop any class with a W. Today(thursday), I had a lab and lecture exams on Nervous System. I found out I scored a B- on my lecture exam(highest I ever had so far :) ) and a 62% on my lab :(:(:(, which puts my class grade at a D. Even harder for me to decide if I should drop. My teacher helped me calculate and said if I get C (worse comes to worse) and do all my assignments (which i do) then I would get a C for the whole grade, unless i get Bs or As on the next 4 exams of course.

It's hard to predict how well I would do because there's so much to memorize and she only tests 45% on the materials she lectured in class. This isnt a math class. I know that's not an excuse because it also depends how much time I put into it. I do put alot of my time studying and that's what I did for Nervous System although I did forget alot of body nerve names (ahh!! and teacher did ask for those names..ouch). Funny thing was on my last lab/lecture on Muscles, I scored an F on the lecture but a B on the lab (i admit..i did spend too much time studying for lab then i did for lecture on that topic).

I dont like giving up and wouldnt like a W on my report card! To me, a W is equal to an F. My current GPA is around 3.3 (Yeah i know it's not the best GPA. Ive had As, Bs and one darn C from bio :\). Anatomy is 4 units. I am scared my below C grade( :() would bring my GPA down! My current major is Business/Maybe Nursing (hard to tell because Anatomy is the only Pre nursing class I have). I'm not distracted by my Business workload. I think I just have trouble remembering everything for Anatomy.

What do you think?

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Specializes in PACU.

If a B- is the best you've done on a test, you're definitely in trouble. As far as most nursing schools are concerned, you might as well finish it because a W is considered basically an F for admission purposes (unless you can articulate an extenuating circumstance). Unless you can retake it and do better and then do well in your other pre-reqs, it's unlikely that you'll be able to get into a nursing program.

You need to reconsider how and how much you're studying.

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Ok...you need a dose of reality.

A W is not equal to an F. I have NO IDEA of why so many people on this website think that a W is considered negative on a college transcript or automatically think that there is something wrong with getting one.

My college gives you a W if you drop after the FIRST FIVE DAYS of a class...needless to say, TONS of us have W's on our record.

I dropped Psychology last semester b/c my teacher was a mean, nasty, arrogant witch who refused to return my phone calls or emails for a DISTANCE LEARNING class. I dropped the class b/c I could see a D or a C a mile away..before I took a single course. Which I found out later, was about the best you could do in her class...gee, wonder why.

A&P will suck up your time like no other class. You can't just try to memorize, you have to WRITE the words down over and over and over again until they flow from your hand. You have to make your own copies of diagrams in the book and test yourself...over and over and over again.

If you are not doing that, then you are simply not putting the time.

I don't understand what you mean that she only tests you on 45% of the material...where is the other 65% coming from?

If you are having that much trouble with Anatomy, then nursing is going to be an uphill battle..there is a REASON why they want you to take AP first...b/c it directly reflects the number of students who can be successful in nursing.

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Specializes in PACU.
A W is not equal to an F. I have NO IDEA of why so many people on this website think that a W is considered negative on a college transcript or automatically think that there is something wrong with getting one.

Many of the nursing programs in my area state that only one class can be retaken, even if one of the attempts was a withdrawal. I agree that it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but it is at many schools.

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A&P is such an important subject to know, not just memorize. If you are having problems, retake the course. If you don't know how the body works you are going to struggle as a nursing student. A "W" is not considered an F, and you are not a failure! A&P is a tough course, but a necessary one. Pick yourself up and do not just memorize, know why!! Good luck in whatever your decision is.

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Specializes in LTC.

I would withdraw. Where I'm from W's don't hurt you.

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Specializes in NICU.

Withdraw. See if you can stay in the class unofficially, though. The extra exposure will help :). Is the rest of the tested material from the text? That's not uncommon. Our instructor said his job was to navigate us through the textbook. There's a lot of stuff to learn and the study methods for this class are different than for other classes you may have taken. You'll get there--even if it's not this semester.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

WITHDRAW.

Take the course when you have time to devote your entire life to it. I am not joking when I say that I quit my job and lived/breathed anatomy for an entire semester. It is one of those classes that "weeds" out students from nursing.

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WITHDRAW.

Take the course when you have time to devote your entire life to it. I am not joking when I say that I quit my job and lived/breathed anatomy for an entire semester. It is one of those classes that "weeds" out students from nursing.

I agree GreenEyesRI. A&P was one of my most difficult courses. I took A&P with a couple very simple classes so that I could devote my time to anatomy. If you want to go into nursing you must know anatomy otherwise you can't identify anything. Talk with you advisor and find out for sure if withdrawing will be harmful to your transcript. I wish you the best in your decision.

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Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I took A & P with a guy in a similar boat as you. He was a graphic design/maybe nursing major. He didn't pass A & P. Even if you are a biology whiz A & P will be one of the hardest classes you will take. It requires a huge amount of time and dedication to pass, let alone get As and Bs on your next tests. If you are not 100% sure that you want to pursue nursing I can see how passing this class might be a problem. I know I wouldn't want to take A & P as an elective if I was a business major!

Best wishes in whatever you decide to do. :)

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I do agree that a W is better than an F, But at My school you can only have so many W's before you can't withdraw anymore or you get some other consequence i can't think of ATM.

But What's troubling me is all of you are saying A&P is so difficult. I took Basic A&P last Semester (no lab) I thought it was very interesting and did well, taking Medical Terminology helped though.

I now have A&P1 with Lab, but I think I have the basics down and will be able to fine tune everything.

GL though

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Specializes in ED.

Withdraw and don't take A&P again unless you are really serious about nursing. I wouldn't take it if you are not going into nursing and if you struggle with A&P you will struggle with nursing.

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