Do you get anything out of Labs?

AlishiaRN77 · Jan 30, 2008

Hi there,

I have to agree to some extent on the labs. But I also believe it depends on which class and how your instructor is. As for me, I know then when I took microbiology waaaaay back when...i really had fun. Learned many different things...(don't eat hamburger meat anymore because of that class...lol).

As for currently, i'm taking chem and bio (due to the 5 year rule i have to start over on the science classes..ugh). Anyway...my chem instructor is great where as my bio instructor is a sweet lady but the labs i'm not a fan of. They take up too much time and she goes through the lectures soooooo fast that i have to depend on my reading of the textbook.

But like you were saying, it does make it difficult for one to think about research and dealing with the unknown of whether you'll have the proper equipment or that they work correctly. As for me, I don't see myself ever teaching a lab class unless it's something like nursing clinicals....appears to be a fun and challenge thing to do and of course more hands on.

cmonkey · Jan 30, 2008

I got nothing out of A&P I labs, but I think I will this semester. I don't remember chem that well but I don't think I learned much in labs. ...though I didn't learn much in the class either, so feel free to ignore me. lol

natrgrrl · Jan 30, 2008

Just wait until you start clinicals!!!!!! :bugeyes: You will be looking back wishing that things were as organized and efficient as those science labs.

tonyal · Jan 30, 2008

I excelled at the labs. I am thankful for them since it helps pad my grade a bit when it comes time for the lecture tests. My labs were always well organized and we teamed up in pairs and did the labs. I have always looked forward to them.

RN2B73 · Jan 30, 2008

so far i've had labs in physics, chem, bio, and a&p i. i can safely say i'm not a fan of the labs. the lab stuff isn't difficult, it is just immensely frustrating. maybe i'm missing the point, but i just don't seem to get much out of them - especially considering the amount of time and effort you spend.
most of the time, i feel like there are too many people in lab trying to share equipment - or the equipment doesn't work correctly, or the experiment doesn't work correctly and after four hours all we get is the instructor explaining to us how it "would have looked" if everything had worked.
the instructors are usually spread too thin, and we try to cram in too many things at once so you just fly through everything to get done on time. in the end it just feels like you're going through the motions. we're just repeating experiments that have already been done a million times over - we never do anything exciting. if i have to dissect one more formaldehyde pickled fetal pig, rat, or frog...
this is probably a major factor for why i've never remotely considered getting a phd or doing scientific research.
i really feel like they're killing student's interest in science the way they teach sometimes. i don't think i'm the first to propose this, but i really do think we need to take a look at these ancient teaching methods and see if we can't improve upon them now. why can't students devise their own experiments once in a while? or maybe this does happen elsewhere and the schools that i've attended are just behind the curve?

i personally prefer labs over lecture. i think they are more interesting and i personally learn more from them. just like tonyal, i always do better on lab tests than i do lecture. yeah, i wish they were a little more involved but it beats not having a lab at all. labs to me are hands on and i just retain that info better. pull what you can from them, they really are beneficial. good luck to you!:cheers:

Hotflashn · Jan 31, 2008

Maybe you just haven't had good labs? I wasn't impressed with intermediate chem lab, but my anatomy lab was excellent! I had a phenomenal professor and we had multiple fresh human cadavers pretty much from day one... interesting, challenging and very hands on. No pickeled animals. Though the giant Tupperwares full of extra arms and legs was disconcerting. Physio lab was not as great, since the prof was a excellent lecturer, but like the absent minded professor in lab, he would get befuddled up close and in person (when we were dissecting frogs to get the heart out to do experiments on, our "freshly killed" frog - he took them in the back and jabbed them in the head - wasn't dead yet - ack! Distressing) I had a fantastic table full of wonderful students, so lab was fun.

Micro lab was totally necessary. Now I am in organic chem and labs so far seem close to useless. Besides, the prof likes to catch things on fire and do all kinds of demonstrations even during lecture, so who needs lab? Labs are really hit and miss, I think.

dmaccnursing_student · Feb 1, 2008

I agree and disagree. :)

I personally love labs because I can apply the textbook to something in real life. Other people just don't like it because they can learn and understand everything out of the book. I just learn things better if there is a hands on activity with it :)

Plus, it depends on the class. Yay for anatomy labs...chem labs, not so much.

bpcardio · Jul 28, 2008

To me as an RN the greatest value in labs is as a teacher of organinization and process. When working as a nurse there are many skills that are best performed in an organized manner with attention to detail in the process, such as inserting a foley cath with meticulous attention to detail to minimize risk of introducing infection. Also many of the little details which are logical to the point of what should be common sense, but commonly are not, such as when pouring from a vessel, pour from the non-labelled side. Two small examples of many valuable lessons. Get what you can from all learning experiences.

mommy2three2 · Jul 28, 2008

The only lab I did not like (so far) was OChem. But that could be because I opted to take it during the summer and a 16wk lab course was crammed into 4 wks...talk about torture :bluecry1:

ThatPoshGirl · Jul 28, 2008

So far the only lab I have had was for general bio. I've really enjoyed most of the labs. Our labs compliment the lectures and I do feel that they have been helpful. There have been a couple of incidents where the lab techs messed something up so we didn't get the expected results, but I stll think performing the lab was benefitial.

Next semester I have A&P and Micro. For A&P we have a cadaver lab, but it doesn't sound as nice as what others have experienced. Apparently the cadavers are not at all fresh. My gen bio teacher told me "the old guy looks like beef jerky."

Oh, and I am definitely looking forward to the micro lab. I think learning how to stain and id bacteria will be pretty cool.

TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP · Jul 28, 2008

Speaking as someone who does research currently, I can say that the bio labs I did as an undergrad demonstrated basic skills (PCR, directional blotting, gel electrophoresis, antibody tagging) that are used in research labs over and over and over again. As far as chem labs, some of them are useful to a biologically-oriented person, some aren't, but pay attention to acid-base chemistry. It gets used ALL the time in biology.