Getting Frustrated

stpauligirl · Mar 2, 2006

I dont know how these instructors expect you to make it through A&P. Every time I pick up the book to try to read it, I just get upset. To much to memorize and know all at one time. Our tests our on three chapters at a time that is 25-30 pages per chp. times 3= 90 pages to know. I dont have a photographic memory for this class and can not remember all of the stuff in the chapters 10 minutes after I read it, does it really pay to read it? I dont know. If I could comprehend what I read it would help but it is forgot two pages later because of all the **** to know.

I know how huge the volume is in A&P, been there done it last semester. Read each chapter at least once completely, including tables, and boxes....nobody can remember everything but you might recognize a term, concept etc on one of the test questions and it might ring a bell and lead you to answer the question correctly. Read the chapter summaries VERY thoroughly and concentrate on what the teacher emphasizes in lecture. Go back into the chapters and find what the teacher talked about in lecture and underline those things. Repetition and frequent exposure to the material is the key to retention. Have you tried the study guide for your book? I find those tremendously helpful because study guides seem to condense the important things.

TexasPediRN · Mar 2, 2006

A&P was a frustrating class for me as well.

Does your book come with a CD? If so it will include models and teach you all the names of the bones. I was much better at using a CD and/or real model then at learning it from the book.

Flash cards help as well for some people.

Good luck!

Nurse-To-Be-Joy · Mar 2, 2006

The A&P thread has a lot of helpful information. I am in A&PII right now, so I know how you're feeling. Some tips: Take special note of things the instructor emphasizes, read your book (more than once), tape the lectures, review your notes regularly, ask the instructor to clarify things you don't understand, use the CD that came with your book, join a study group, etc. Stpauligirl is right... repetition is KEY. Spend time every day reading or studying, even if you can only spare a half hour. Good luck!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Mar 3, 2006

I made notecards or when we had them, took the instructor's notes that I had added lecture notes to and carried them everywhere with me. When I had a few minutes of downtime, I would start where I had left off and just go over and over them. It was just a lot of memorization.

This was one of the first instructors I had run across that emphasized NO curving and sometimes some of the things she would throw at us drove me nuts. I thought I was the worst student in the class and my GPA through my bachelor's degree in Business and the prereqs was about 3.7. Turns out I wasn't the worst after all, but when I had a low "B" before the pre-optional final, I took it and ran rather than frustrate myself anymore.

Hang in there unless you just don't think you can get a decent grade before the final drop date. :mad:

WannaBeMaleRN · Mar 3, 2006

Well, I am hanging in there dropping the class isnt an option. I know I failed my lecture test (first one) but got a 85 on my lab practical which is a B so hopefully at the end everything balances out. I get aggervated and lose my patience very easily but I am going to get through it regardless. I just put it aside and come back to it later.

SarasotaRN2b · Mar 3, 2006

Well, when it comes to anatomy, memorization is used a lot, but for the physiology section, comprehension is more important. What good is it if you memorize something but have no understanding of the why?

WDWpixieRN, RN · Mar 3, 2006

Well, I am hanging in there dropping the class isnt an option. I know I failed my lecture test (first one) but got a 85 on my lab practical which is a B so hopefully at the end everything balances out. I get aggervated and lose my patience very easily but I am going to get through it regardless. I just put it aside and come back to it later.

Like I said, I had a horrible time....so, if dropping it is NOT an option, just keep doing your best....for me, it was about memorization, time spent in the library studying the models, and just making myself stay motivated....how about study groups? Got a couple of friends in the class you can get together with to go over things? That's always been a big help to me when I could squeeze it in....we'd figure out acronyms and memorization techniques (fibia = little "white lie" to remember it was the smaller of the bones).....and the notes and note cards....it'll be over soon -- PROMISE!!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2006

I know it seems so overwhelming right now, but it is because much of this is material that you are reading and learning about for the first time. Do the best you can to keep up with it. You will have to go through this material again when you are in your nursing classes as you study the various disease processes (you will link normal A&P with the disease). It will also be very helpful to be seeing patients in clinical areas who are exhibiting breakdowns in various body systems so you can see signs and symptoms first hand. Everything about A&P of the body is so dog gone logical. Of course, you may not see it that way at the moment, but I assure you that it is. The more you revisit and review the information you need to learn, the more likely you are to remember it. For this reason, it is good to use outlines when reviewing material rather than reading the entire 90 pages of your textbook one, two, three or even four times--that's too much work and takes up too much time. Have you made a list of the web links to various A&P sites from the various threads here? If not, do so and use them. Sometimes seeing a subject stated in a different way will help cement it into your brain. It will also make it more interesting and not as cut and dry as reading and re-reading your same old textbook over and over. If you need links let me know, I've got 3 or 4 pages of A&P links in a Word file. There are only a handful that I consider really, really excellent, however. Also consider taking some "field trips" to the MedlinePlus website which is designed for the general public. Use the search feature to get information about specific subjects in A&P which will generally be in more easy to understand language since it is written specifically for non-professionals. Sometimes it helps to see things written in easier, simpler language. There are also videos and slide shows intermingled with all the information at their massive site. Your little jaunts into these websites will not be wasted time, I promise.