Any study tips for A&P?

WendyBSN2004 · May 2, 2001

Originally posted by essarge:
I'm going to be taking A&PI and A&PII this summer...any study tips?

What helped me was to keep up on the reading, review my notes after class, and I just tryed to review when ever I had a free moment. I wish you the best, it is a hard class. I learned a lot though. I just finished A&PII this spring with a B. Good luck and let me know if I can help you in any way!

:)

essarge · May 2, 2001

wendy,

thanks! I take it you are graduating the same year I am? 2004? Seems sooooo far away right now, but I'm sure it will go fast! I will ask for help if I need it. Thanks again! :cool:

NurseStudentFall01 · May 2, 2001

I'm also taking A&P this summer. Someone suggested on the general board to get the Anatomy Coloring book and several others agreed. So, I ordered it from amazon. It seems simple enough, I just hope it works! Other suggestions given on the general board were to type up notes after each class, to be sure you understand everything as you go - not just assume you'll pick it up later, and find a nice study group or study partner. Maybe we can be email buddies and help each other through this class! I hear it's pretty bad! Good luck!

essarge · May 2, 2001

Sounds good to me!! I bought the coloring book, but haven't really looked at it yet. What text do you use? We use tortora and grabowski principles of anatomy and physiology. Weighs about 25 pounds (or seems like it! LOL!) Guess i'll have to look at the coloring book now.

Right now I'm doing the review questions at the back of each chapter to get ahead of the game (putting them in a spiral for quick reference)...seems to be working a little anyway! Only 15 more chapters to go for the a&pI then the rest of the book for II.

RN-2-BE · May 2, 2001

Oh my.... you better hold on to every last nerve you have in your body for this class! It was by far the most interesting, but definitely the most challenging! Use notecards, study groups are great, I wish someone would have told me about that coloring book (..., interpret your lecture notes with your own body (as goofy as I may sound). It's not a class you memorize, it's a class you visualize and try to understand the concept. I got a "C" in I & II, and that was TRYING.... Although, my college has a tough biology department, so they say... I did learn, but a "B" would've been nicer of course

Good Luck

essarge · May 2, 2001

Thanks for the great posts! If anyone else has any ideas let me know. I had A&P way back in 1985, so I'm hoping some of it will come back to me!! (wishful thinking?)

My goal is an A, but a B would keep me happy! We are working on a study group to meet on Friday mornings when there aren't many classes going on. Our class goal is to have a better average overall than the other classes. OK ... so we're a little competitive!! LOL! But it will be fun to see if we can do it!

I start the first class on May 22 so we'll see how things go!!

Keep writing on any ideas anyone has for studying!!

NurseCratchett, NS · May 4, 2001

Best of luck to you...I am a divorced mom with 2 kids and what I found to be the most help is to answer the review questions at the end of each chapter whether assigned or not....I am currently getting a 97.6% in the class....

jldella99 · May 4, 2001

When I took A&P I had to write out what I read (well, actually just the really major points, which are fairly numerous anyways). It sux b/c you end up writing a book, but I got A's so it works. Also, for neuro I drew out some of the pathways. Great for visualizing when you're taking a test.

WendyBSN2004 · May 5, 2001

That was the same book that I used for A&P I and II. It is a great book. I think the best part about it is the pictures and figures. They really explain what you have read by giving a visual to it. We had a small study group, and think it helps you to keep focused, and also gives you people to vent with. I had the coloring book too, but I spent so much time reading the textbook that I never really used the coloring book much. Once again good luck!!

[ May 04, 2001: Message edited by: WendyBSN2004 ]

RNDiv2 · May 5, 2001

The only study tips I have are draw alot, use cut and paste quizes. Continually test and mark your test, omit all correctly answered questions and continue to study and test yourself on the questions you marked incorrect. You may ask if this works???

Well, I am a mum, a wife, and I run a very busy house, and give support to many of my classmates. My average score for A&P was 88%, I can only imagine what it would have been if I had no ties!!!!! My average overall scores so far have been 92%.

Try this method, and Good Luck!

delirium · May 7, 2001

I currently am in my last semester of A&P II and only have two classes left. Its not as difficult as everyone says... I was scared out of my mind going into that class because I'd heard such awful things. I have two suggestions for you, depending on the type of professor you get.

Tip one: if you get a prof who talks and explains a lot during class, try to really listen to your professor rather than take notes. Highlight on what he or she focuses on. Read the chapter on your own, type up the key points, this will all help you remember. I find that the people scribbling down notes during class are also the ones who miss the key topics because they are thinking about what they are writing and not what the prof is saying.

Tip two: if you get a prof who doesn't lecture much and encourages independence.... well, read the chapter on your own. What really works for me is putting info on note cards (each index card has only one topic on it, so its succinct, focused, and organized). This will break it down into manageable chunks that you'll find easier to remember. And they are convenient you can flip through them in the car at a red light, waiting in line at the store, you get the idea.

Most A&P books now come with CD roms that you may find helpful. Mine was helpful with some info (like when we had to memorize all the blood vessels of the body) but not so helpful with other material.

Hope this helps. I've gotten an A in both lecture and lab in A&P I and II. Just relax, don't let yourself get stressed, and enjoy what you're learning about. This is what nursing is all about.

Take care,

MsP