HELP! Best advice on passing Anatomy & Physiology?!!

paulina20xxx · Jan 12, 2007

You need to memorize almost all of it. I got B in A&PI because my lab practicals were straight A's. You can do it. Good luck.

Yin Yang · Jan 13, 2007

Anatomy is alot of memorization, physiology is alot of application. If you learn the anatomy well, it makes the physiology that much easier to apply. The best way I've found to learn it is to read a section, and try to rephrase it back to be sure you've understood it. Have a study group so that you can quiz each other, talk about what points seemed to be heavy hitters with your instructor, etc. Allot plenty of time to study, but try to relax and enjoy it. If you can really interest yourself in it, it becomes alot less intimidating.

Good luck!

Kathy

LPN0608 · Jan 13, 2007

Note cards worked for me. Can you record the lecture? it helps. Not to scare you but my LPN program has tests on about 5-6 chaps at a time. good luck.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2007

anytime you have to do a lot of memorizing you should make flashcards. carry them with you and review them frequently. it is always better to study for short periods of time with breaks in between rather than doing long study sessions. when i was studying anatomy i was always trying to visualize the part on my own body.

there have been lots of weblinks to anatomy sites posted on the nursing student forums. here are three threads that are currently stickys that you should check the weblinks on when you have time:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f198/great-anatomy-site-141642.html - great anatomy site thread on the pre-nursing forum. has links to helpful anatomy sites on the internet

https://allnurses.com/forums/f198/watch-webcast-entire-semester-p-chemistry-biology-uc-berkeley-192666.html - watch a webcast of an entire semester of a&p, chemistry, or biology from uc berkeley thread on the pre-nursing forum.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/pathophysiology-p-fluid-electrolyte-resources-145201.html - pathophysiology/ a & p/ fluid & electrolyte resources thread on the nursing student assistance forum.

mstyd · Jan 13, 2007

I would like to say thank you to all who have responded. Your tips and advice is greatly appreciated. I will take everything that you all have given me into consideration. I basically understand that there is a lot of memorization, and that I must devote a lot of time to study. I have heard that memorization is done best by repitition. Would you all agree?

Again, thank you all so much! This forum is the best!

Freedom42 · Jan 13, 2007

If you can, get your hands on a copy of one of your instructor's old exams. It will give you a better idea of his or her style, and you'll probably find that this test, though challenging, will be manageable. It's a great way to ease anxiety.

Does your text book have an online component? My course uses Martini's text book, and I've found the companion website quite helpful. I practice with the interactive tests online before every quiz or exam. The website helps me to recognize key concepts, too, and not get bogged down in detail.

Make a set of flash cards. Your bookstore might even sell small cards on a key ring. Flash through them when you're standing in line or waiting for an appointment. Take advantage of every opportunity to study. Every minute adds up!

Break up your reading and studying into small chunks. I can't read a chapter at a time; it's overwhelming. You need time to internalize all that information. I read four pages at the most, pretty slowly, and I master it in one reading. I only read the chapter once. I'm a tactile learner, so the process of taking notes as I go makes it much easier for me to understand and store information.

Get a study group together. This only works if everyone is equally committed to showing up prepared for meetings. I found that group discussions were very helpful in identifying key concepts to master as opposed to memorizing every bit of information. Understanding relationships and processes is more meaningful in the long run than memorizing bits and pieces. Explaining a concept to a classmate is also a great way to master the material as the rest of the group listens and critiques. Every member of our study group earned an A.

For what it's worth, I had been out of school for more than 20 years when I started A&P, and I was very nervous. So I approached it just as I had my job and did exactly what my instructor suggested; for starters, she says we need to put in two to three hours a week for every hour of lab and lecture time. Yes, that's a lot -- but I never panicked before an exam, and I never had to cram. I also took her up on her offer for one-on-one instruction in the lab. (She's terrific!)

I also went to a "how to study science" session with an adviser and got a lot more out of it than I expected. I followed her advice and now begin every day -- and I mean every day, including Christmas break -- with my "hour of power," always devoted to A&P. I do it before sunrise, as I'm an early riser, and no matter what happens with the rest of my day, I know I've put in at least one quality hour.

Good luck on your test. Take the next day off -- then start studying for the next one!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2007

i have heard that memorization is done best by repetition. would you all agree?

yes. i used to teach a class in medical terminology. on my first day of class i gave a little introduction to the topic of memorization and flashcards. in researching memorization for this some years ago i found some very interesting information about how we remember and retain facts. the one thing that really struck me the most was that we retain things in our long-term memory that are connected with emotions. that's why when you miss a question on a exam (you get upset) you never forget the correct answer. this is also why there are so many memories of your life that you can recall with such detail. it is because of the emotion surrounding the memory. think about it.

other memory techniques that work are things like mnemonics and story telling. anytime you have to memorize a list, if you can see some kind of pattern to put the list into that will help you remember it, go for it.

Freedom42 · Jan 13, 2007

Using mnemonics is a great suggestion. One other point, not a study tip but an observation: Take advantage of every opportunity to add points to your grade. I was surprised at how few of my classmates, for example, resubmitted their first lab reports for higher grades when the option was offered by the instructor. It didn't take much work. Likewise, many of my classmates would not bother to prepare responses to bonus essay questions when the questions were provided the week before the exam. Granted, the questions were challenging, but they could add as much as 10 points to your final score -- a letter grade, and well worth it. My professor also offers the option of writing an extra-credit paper worth five points. At the beginning of the semester, I decided to do it, but by the end, having taken advantage of every opportunity to raise my average before the final exam, I didn't have to. I'd built a great "cushion;" had I failed the final, the worst I could have earned for the semester was a B. It's so much easier to put the hard work in on the "front end" of the semester than when everything collides during finals week.

mstyd · Jan 13, 2007

You guys are the best! Thank you so much. As for getting my teachers old exams,,,I am not sure if that is possible because he is new this semster. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2007

as for getting my teachers old exams,,,i am not sure if that is possible because he is new this semster.

not a problem. use this guys!

http://groups.msn.com/anatomyphysiologytests - this is a site that an instructor of a&p set up that has all the lecture exams, quizzes, and lab exams from his career (with answers). you have to register (it's free) to get access to them.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2007

just did a search of my anatomy links. here's more anatomy websites that have test or quiz questions on them. not all have the answer keys.

http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/aplab/index.html - this is a very large site developed by the a&p department of the university of wisconsin to help students to study laboratory materials for practical exams - lots of labeled pictures! click on "table of contents" at the left to link into the massive information on this site. there is also a section of exam questions at the link "ap test home".

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/wnor/homepage.htm - the anatomy lesson. click on the link for "practice examinations". includes answer key.

http://www.getbodysmart.com/ - basic interactive anatomy tutorials animation with quizzes

http://www.sirinet.net/~jgjohnso/index.html - home page of the biology teacher at frederick high school in frederick, oklahoma. this instructor teaches a high school class of a&p. although you want to link into the biology ii homepage, i notice that there is information in the biology i homepage to link into that also pertains to some a&p. there are plenty of quizzes and practice exercises scattered throughout this extensive site, but i could not find any answers. presented in a little easier than college level, i thought this was an awesome introduction to a&p!

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072919329/student_view0/index.html - the site of the textbook holes's human anatomy and physiology, 10th edition on line learning center. there are quiz questions within each chapter, so you have to choose a chapter to get access to the quizzes.

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jgrass/aphome.html - web site of the instructor of a&p at the city college of san francisco. check the links on the left side of the page. there are links to quiz questions in human anatomy and physiology by body system. i was not able to get the answers to the quiz or to reset the quizzes.