Effective way to study A&P

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · May 8, 2018

The anatomy coloring books are great.

And: Per the Terms of Service at AllNurses, you may not use 'nurse' in your username if you are not one. Please change it.

Nurse2b_Cook · May 8, 2018

10-4 thanks

Claralee · May 8, 2018

I have over 100% average in both AP1 & 2 and strongly believe it's because I found the best way to study (for me).

I read the textbook first before lecture. I record my lectures and take notes on the PowerPoints during the lecture. Then I type up the notes from the lectures. Then a week or so before the exam I flashcard everything we need to know and just keep going over the flashcards until I've learnt it all. I try to stick to one fsvtboer flashcard but will sometimes group them if easier to learn together.

If there's anything that isn't sticking fromtgd flashcards I write it out again in as condensed form as I can and that helps me get it in my brain.

Good luck!

Serhilda, ADN, RN · May 10, 2018

Claralee has some great advice.

Definitely read before lectures. Take notes directly on the PowerPoints you've printed out. Review your lecture notes right before bed as well for about 10-15 minutes. Then make flashcards of anything that's purely memorization, i.e. there's no rationale behind something, it's a hormone, a new definition, etc. Lastly but most importantly, review what you highlighted in your textbook. The night before an exam, I would review everything I highlighted in all the assigned reading. Took about an hour. I followed this method all through nursing school as well except with slightly more reviewing each day and I finished summa cum laude. I'd attribute that to my studying habits.

Try out different methods of studying to figure out what works for you. Always try to read though regardless. Good luck.

xxstarrynitesxx · May 10, 2018

I would first recommend taking a quiz online to find your learning style if you do not know it. This can help you to narrow in on a method that works best for you. Second, try to reach out to another student who has successfully navigated the course with the same professor, especially if he or she a similar kind of student to you. You can get valuable insight into how the professor runs his or her class. This may save you time, energy, sleep, and grief down the line. I did this for every prerequisite that I took and I can honestly say that the advice I received was valuable.

For lecture, what I found to be helpful was glancing over the powerpoints (and reading the chapter summaries) before coming to class. All of my science prerequisites were heavily based on the lecture and powerpoints. I rarely read the textbook as previous students had told me it contained excessive amounts of unnecessary information. If I needed or wanted more detail on a particular topic, then I would read the textbook. As others have mentioned, you may find reading to be effective, but I would say that this is something that must be an active activity rather than a passive one. Constantly be searching for connections between topics and courses. This was something that I personally found I was able to do during lecture without having to read the text.

I definitely printed out the lecture slides before coming to class and used a voice recorder. I did not always have to go back and listen to the lecture again later on, but there were times that I was grateful to have had it. Take notes on the slides and really try to make those connections. Seek to understand the material and not simply memorize it for the exam. Using different colored ink or highlighters can be helpful. After lecture, the greatest thing you can do is to review within 24 hours!! There was this whole study done that showed that people are able to retain 20% more information to their long term memory. I had an Honors Biology professor at my school tell this method to my class and not gotten anything less than an A on any exam or class thus far. In addition to this, find the time of morning, day, or night when you are your most alert and study then. If you are able to chew gum then, in class, and on your exam this can help to trigger your memory. I have never had to cram or stay up late studying.

In regards to how I actually studied... I would first review the lecture slides and my notes. I have a whiteboard that I would write on and "teach the class" the information I was presenting on. Not only was I reading, I was writing, saying, and chewing on some gum. More than one of my senses was used at any given time. Work on learning how to condense the information, connecting the material, and thinking like the professor. Try to find those big ticket items that you can turn into an essay or are emphasized time and time again. As I was in lecture or studying, I would apply the information I learned to real-life scenarios and try to make up my own questions in general (think like a professor). You may find watching YouTube videos from people like Armando Hasudungan and creating a small study group to also be useful.

For lab, I actually took pictures of all the slides for histology and models. My lab partner and I would also make videos going over the different muscles, bones, parts of the eye, parts of the skull, models, etc. I would spend time with the models and use a chunking method for learning the bones and muscles. Essentially you start off with 5 at a time, learn those, and then keep adding 5 at a time with your lab partner. I know some people who would put the pictures in pocket protectors and use expo marker to mark up the image, erase, and repeat. Try to go to open lab if it is offered. If you are unable to, the pictures and video will help.

As mentioned by others, you really have to play around with what works best for you whether that be reading, creating your own notes from the text, making flashcards, writing on a whiteboard while "teaching the class", forming a study group, watching videos, or a combination of them. Seek to understand the material in enough detail that you could teach someone else it. Best wishes!

luffy1q · May 10, 2018

Khan Academy, Wendy Riggs utube, Crash course utube, Professor Fink utube (def recommend). If you utilize each of them, A&P will be a breeze. Professor Fink not only made A&P easy for me but he made me fall in love with it. I would also reccomend you record your lectures if you have the go ahead from your professor. I would constantly listen to the audio recordings while looking at the powerpoint slides.

Good luck!

rnhopeful82, ASN, RN · May 10, 2018

I think it really depends on your study technique, you will need to learn that before you can effectively learn anything else. My friends were flashcard people, I am not. I am also not a textbook learner. I had to go to class and listen and took notes on everything the teacher said. In micro I switched to just adding notes to the powerpoints. For the tests, I would review my notes and the powerpoints only. I made super strange ways to remember things that my friends and I still remember now. For practicals, I would go to the library and look at the slides they had and remember ways to know what I was looking at, I would take the box of bones or the heart and veins and go over every part of every bone until I knew it front to back (literally). For other parts, I would print out the handout, white-out the answers and make lots of copies and just keep writing them, or practice writing whatever we were being tested on at the time at my desk. The repetition helped keep it fresh in my head. It's kept me at a 4.0. But my brain works best like that, yours might not.

Claralee · May 10, 2018

ugh sorry for horrible typos, I can't figure out how to edit my post. I was trying to say that I trick to stick to one fact per flashcard.

I actually studied how to study for A&P before I started as I was so intimidated. I found some great advice on these message boards and lots more stuff online and youtube.

xxstarrynitesxx · May 11, 2018

ugh sorry for horrible typos, I can't figure out how to edit my post. I was trying to say that I trick to stick to one fact per flashcard.
I actually studied how to study for A&P before I started as I was so intimidated. I found some great advice on these message boards and lots more stuff online and youtube.

I've been in the same boat. The option to edit does not last very long once a comment has posted.

Rionoir, ADN, RN · May 11, 2018

I second Professor Fink's YouTube channel, he's great. If you have a bit of a drive you can listen to it to and from school. I also did a lot of flashcards with BrainScape by far my favorite.