Do profs usually go over parts of A&P that are relavent to the topic they are teaching?

[annieelu]

I finished my first semester of nursing, I finished the foundation courses, anatomy and physiology and microbiology. And I'm beginning my second semester on Monday and doing intro to nursing theory, health assessment and pathophysiology. My question is for example if they are teaching a topic about kidneys and nephrons, will they review the parts of the kidney and how it works? Because over Christmas break I have forgotten a lot of the stuff

And I also have another question. How much of the info from A&P and microbiology would I have to know? Would I have to know every single detail from the textbook front to back? Or would I have to know the important things and main idea, like for example how they heart works.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I wouldn't worry about memorizing every tiny detail. If you have a good foundation in A&P, then when the prof talks about the pathophysiology, it'll make sense and reinforce what you already know.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

You won't find anyone here who will advise you to "skip this" or "don't worry about learning that."

You are in nursing school. Learn everything that you can. Stop looking for the quick notes. Everything that you learn now is FUNDAMENTAL. Future lessons build upon this basic course. Learn it or face future failure.

[Sour Lemon]

My question is for example if they are teaching a topic about kidneys and nephrons, will they review the parts of the kidney and how it works?

No, but you'll be free to review the basics on your own as necessary. Classes move so quickly that there's not even time to cover everything that's new. You'll be expected to read and understand quite a bit on your own.

[Wile E Coyote, ASN, RN]

Your nursing fundamentals aka 'med-surg' textbook should contain a decent review of normal physiology before delving into pathologies, grouped by body system, i.e. GI, GU, etc. That seems to be an unwritten formatting rule that remains relatively consistent.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

moved for best response

[verene, MSN]

My pathophysiology instructor did NOT review A&P material, though she did usually give us a bullet point list of concepts she expected us to be familiar with for class with a "if you don't remember this, review before lecture" note, which was nice. Some stuff I really needed the review, other topics I felt comfortable with my base knowledge.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

We didn't need much from Microbiology other than knowing how viruses affect the immune system and how the different antibiotics kill bacteria in different ways.

Our instructors never reviewed anatomy or physiology during class. We were expected to already have a thorough base knowledge of it from our pre-reqs. If you feel rusty, just brush up on your knowledge before each unit. Med Surg is usually presented in units by body system (e.g. cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, etc.), so it's simple to refresh by looking at your syllabus and reviewing your A&P.

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

No. My nursing instructors did not have time to review A&P. We were advised to review it on our own as needed. I strongly suggest you review frequently in order to retain that info. It will never go away--the rest of your career, you will need to understand A&P. The more often you see it, the more it becomes part of your knowledge-base.

[AliNajaCat]

What do you think the definition of the word "prerequisite" is?

It means you need to take this course before that one, because you will need a good working knowledge of the material in this one and we will assume you have it.

I hope you didn't sell your book and toss your notes, because you have a LOT of catching up to do.

Hint: This applies to all your nursing courses, too. When you take second semester, they're going to assume you remember first; at fourth, you'd better have all of 1, 2, and 3 solidly between your ears. And they're going to assume you remember A&P, patho, chemistry, and all those other PREREQUISITES.

[gM_2010, MSN, PhD, RN, NP]

No because faculty expect you to be able to apply knowledge and content from earlier courses.

[Julius Seizure]

You'll be fine, but you'll want to review that A&P on your own so that you are prepared to learn as you go through the semester. So, like someone else said, before the renal lecture you should spend some time refreshing your brain on the basics. I bet you that if you worked hard last semester, that stuff is still in there, you just need to bring it back to the front of your brain. Thats good to do anyway, because it will help make it stick better. Use your A&P textbook as a resource. I also think that khan academy is a great resource - check out their "health and medicine" section and watch the videos before you have that section in your patho class. Good luck!