Practical Nursing

[SilentMind]

I'm a relatively new poster here. I've only responded to one or two threads, but i've read back in relative subforums almost to the beginning. I haven't had the opportunity to say it in each individual thread, but I want to thank everyone for providing such valuable information and insights.

I do have one question, that I haven't seen addressed in any of the other threads I've come across. And at the risk of sounding ignorant...I'd like to present it to the collective wisdom of the rest of you. I'm a pre-nursing student at Broward College, where the only prerequisites for the nursing program are english/chem/A+P I+II. I took the majority of these long before I had decide just what path I wanted to follow, and I must say...the information I've found here on allnurses has partially shaped my final decision into the nursing field. However, my grades were...subpar to say the best, in regards to A+P I. I'm doing much better this semester in A+P II, which bodes well because i'll need A's in both to guarantee acceptance into the nursing program. My question however, is in regards to just how vital this information is when it comes to the practice of nursing. I remember the majority of the bones and a good portion of the muscles in the body, but as far as histology and the types of endothelial cells....and specific parts of bones, such as crests, grooves, notches, etc....I dont think I could name one.

What I'm asking is....how much of this does a nurse really need to know to be successful in their daily routines. It's my opinion, albeit an admittedly naive one, that nurses are there to administer meds, check vitals, identify possible warning symptoms of different pathology. I mean...will being able to differentiate between a simple squamus and a pseudostratified really have any impact on a nurses duties? What about the NCLX?

I apologize in advance for my ignorance, and I give thanks for any wisdom the rest of you feel fit to share.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You'll need to know the structure and function of the human body in order to comprehend the many different disease processes. For example, a nurse cannot fully understand the processes involved in the development of afflictions such as bladder cancer, urinary incontinence, and cystitis unless he/she knows about the structure of this organ, its function, the musculature surrounding it, and the different cells that comprise it (transitional epithelium, etc.).

Nurses aren't paid for what we do. We're paid for what we know, and you need to know the anatomy and physiology of the human body in order to understand the illnesses that affect your patients.

[ballerinagirl]

I was an LVN (and an RN wannabe), but the short answer to your question is this --

You'll never be asked which nerve ennervates the flexor digitorum longus, or what type of cell is in the (fill in the blank). However, all of this knowledge will be used in order to figure out what is going on w/ your patient, and what interventions are needed. You don't need to know that the cells in the liver are called the Islets of Langerhans, but you better know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and why one has to have insulin and not the other.

So the short answer is -- you don't need to know A&P like you're studying for a test, but you really need to know A&P if you want to know how to manage your patient with CHF or idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura. You won't have to identify the exact names of the muscles and nerves, but you had better know where they are so you can avoid them when giving IM injections.

You don't have to know that the definition of pH is the negative log of the Hydrogen ion concentration, and that the pentose phosphate pathway is another way to string together carbon atoms to make a carbohydrate, but you had better be able to understand what is going on when a diabetic patient goes into ketoacidosis and how you might be able to identify those signs and symptoms and do something about it.

Just my 2 cents.