Did anyone find anatomy easy?

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2008

I found both Anatomy I &II to be challenging, but not too hard, and very fascinating. I had great instructors, which makes all the difference. MY A&P II prof was an MD. He was hard on us, but a great instructor.

I liked it so well and did so well, I became an A&P tutor.

If you have a good instructor, are smart, and truly interested in the subject, you should do very well.

Edited to add- I did so well in both classes, I was able to skip the finals and get an A, and I am no genius. Just from reading your post, I think you will do well.

SFChef · Nov 6, 2008

I don't think that anatomy was necessarily hard, but it was a lot work. I studied everyday and never let myself fall behind. The people in class who fell behind were the ones who had the hardest time and they never really caught up.

For me, anatomy was a lot of memorizing. Physiology is much more about actual understanding (my college teaches the classes separately, but I think a lot of schools teach them combined). Therefore, I will say that I found physiology to be much more difficult than anatomy, because there was much more to it than straight up memorization.

My advice to you is never fall behind. When you are studying the tissues, learn the tissues. When you move to bones, learn the bones. You can't learn the muscles if you don't know the bones and all of their surface markings. Most everything is about the structure and the function. Eventually, it will all come together and make sense. Learn your directional terms early (superior/inferior, medial/lateral, etc). Remember what anatomical position is. Study regularly and you should do fine. Good luck!

jimbojonesey · Nov 6, 2008

It depends on how your teacher grades. My anatomy teacher was deducting points from my homework incorrectly throughout the whole semester. She was a very good teacher in explaining the subject, but she went over board on deducting points.

Lajimolala, BSN, RN, NP · Nov 6, 2008

I pretty much have to agree with everything SFChef stated, including all that great advice. At my school, we also have separate Physiology and Anatomy classes, and while Anatomy was more memorization, Physiology was more difficult in that you had to understand concepts rather than straight memorization.

Also, I will also say that it's not necessarily difficult, but it takes up a lot of time because of all the memorization involved. I would also incur for you not to fall behind. It's very typical in Anatomy lab grades to be either A's, very very few Bs and C's, and a lot of D's and F's. My instructor jokes that the typical class grades in Anatomy looks like two camel humpbacks. So as long as you are on top of your game, never fall behind you can get that A.

brillohead, ADN, RN · Nov 6, 2008

I think a lot will have to do with what kind of student you are. Are you the kind that got A's and B's in high school and your other classes? Then Anatomy probably won't be much different. However, if you're more of a "creative" brain than an "academic" brain person, you might find it harder. I suck at art, but I'm great at academics -- other people have different talents.

Also, some people learn better by "doing" or "touching" (like in lab), others learn better by "listening" (to lectures), and still others learn better by "reading" (textbook and/or lecture notes).

I spend virtually no time at all on studying on a daily basis -- I typically cram the night before an exam, and then go over the material one more time just before class. I'm getting an A+ at this time (there are 5 extra credit points per exam). Other people spend an hour or two every single day going over the material, and they're pulling a C in the class.

I think that I have two things going in my favor -- 1) I was always an A student, even though I graduated high school in the 80s, and 2) I'm very well-read on things health-related and have done some medical research on my own in the past (my own rare GI disease, my knee injury, my son's ear infections, etc.), so I was already familiar with a lot of the terms and structures that I'm learning in class now (some people have no clue what/where the gall bladder is before they come to class, etc.).

Every professor is different, and every student is different.

Juliamine · Nov 6, 2008

Anyone who would say its easy is not being honest with you. Out of all the classes I have taken, and I am done with prerequisites including chemistry, a&p was the most challenging. It requires alot of reading and alot of memorization. Tho it is a challenge, once you get through with it its over and you can move on.

I wanted to say in regards to the pp, I am a creative artsy person. However, I tend to get A's and some B's in all my classes. A&P was different, and not because I am more creative than book smart.

brillohead, ADN, RN · Nov 6, 2008

I wanted to say in regards to the pp, I am a creative artsy person. However, I tend to get A's and some B's in all my classes. A&P was different, and not because I am more creative than book smart.

Sorry, didn't mean it to sound like it's all "one or the other" with regard to academics or creativity. The point I was trying to get across is that every person's situation is unique, and we all have different strengths or weaknesses.

For me, I suck at drawing/painting, but I'm good at singing. Both are "creative/artsy" subjects, but my success in a singing course would be better/easier than my success in a drawing/painting course. I absolutely HATE history and so those classes are "harder" for me than other "academic" classes such as English or science or math. I still got As in history, but I had to work at it a little more than I did for other subjects because it wasn't one of my natural strengths.

When I took Calculus in high school, I had a HORRIBLE teacher with a gender bias that he admitted to on the first day of class (he actually said, "Girls, if you've gotten A's up until now, don't be surprised if you don't get one in my class, because girls can't do higher math like boys can"!!!!!). A few years previous, when I took Geometry in high school, I had a GREAT teacher. Needless to say, I did better in Geometry than I did in Calculus, even though both are math classes.

In other words, every student is different and every teacher is different. The best way to determine how you'll do in any given class is to discuss it with students who share your learning strengths/weaknesses, and also to discuss it with students who have had the same professor -- just because I'm getting an A+ with my prof doesn't mean I would get the same grade with one of the other profs who has a different teaching style.

I hope that better explains the point I was trying to get across... I really wasn't intending to offend anyone, and I'm sorry if my post could be read that way!

Hotdharma2011 · Nov 6, 2008

Anatomy is very hard, but it's relevant to our field of study which for me, made it more interesting and easier to learn. I studied every day, and often with two or three others. The lab is a great study place because you can see, feel, and touch a lot of the models. I was told that the more senses you involve while studying a difficult concept, the more likely you are to retain it! Good luck! And yes, an A is possible, but it will be the hardest A you'll ever earn! :)

GGT1 · Nov 6, 2008

A&P I was harder than A&P II for me... But what I really wanted to say is PLEASE understand A&P and DO NOT FLUSH the information when you are done with the class. I wish someone had told me this... YOU REALLY DO NEED IT IN NURSING SCHOOL. AHHHHH

mom25 · Nov 6, 2008

I thought that A&P was difficult only because of all of the memorization. My teacher also marked any answer wrong if it was mis-spelled and I am a terrible speller so it made it so very hard. I got an A and I took it over the summer but I spent hours and hours studying. Good luck and I hope you do well.

jennafezz · Nov 6, 2008

I think I might find it easier than some people in the class, but it's definitely not easy.

My school also splits it up between Anatomy and Physiology instead of A&P I&II.

I've never really truly studied for a test until this class, and I always find that I should have studied harder. I feel unsure of answers in tests and practicals. My last test was over the entire muscular system, nervous system, and endocrine system (10 chapters).. it was A LOT of information to retain for one test. That's why it's so hard for me, there's just soooooo much information, and hardly any concepts. I'm better at learning concepts than straight memorization.