Helpful study books for a&p I lab

IndyElmer · May 19, 2012

My professor recommended the Anatomy Coloring Book and I found it to be a waste of my time and I never got around to trying the physiology coloring book (though that one looked more useful to me in that I could color-code things like parts of an ECG and the corresponding activity in the heart). In the end, I learned anatomy better by either using pre-printed anatomy flashcards, by putting post-its over the labels for structures in my textbook or using the Practice Anatomy Lab CD (which I thought was awesome!!). You can get the CD for next to nothing ($2 plus $4 shipping if you choose the 2.0 edition) from so many different online vendors.

There are TONS of good & free resources on the internet for anatomy. You just have to do a little googling. I was able to find online versions of nearly every model we had to know -- with self quizzes! I was able to find histology content, bones, muscles, sensory organs, brain & spinal cord, cardiac, and really just about any topic we covered. Also, we were allowed to photograph the models that we used in class. I would print the picture, draw numbered arrows to all of the structures we needed to know, then write a numbered list with the appropriate structure name next to each number. Our lab instructor was kind enough to look over our numbered pictures to see if she could see any missing arrows and then let us tell her what we thought everything was from our numbered list.

As for physiology, I never did find any particularly good resources. The same professor who recommended the Anatomy Coloring Book also recommended Interactive Physiology 10-system suite (which can also be picked up for $2 plus shipping). That one got mixed reviews from classmates. It definitely does not have all and maybe not even a majority of the topics covered in our physiology class (that was designed for biology science majors as well as healthcare majors). How useful the animations/quizzes were depended entirely on how well you understood the instructor in the first place. Those who were struggling a bit often felt that a light bulb really came on for them. While students like me who were doing pretty well and only sometimes were confused never found content that matched what we had deemed the "trickier" material (maybe because it was too complex to economically animate?)

There are a few nice physiology animation bits on the internet, but not as much as I would have liked!

I'll see if I can find any of bone / muscle online resources that I used. In the meantime, try GetBodySmart: Interactive Tutorials and Quizzes On Human Anatomy and Physiology

IndyElmer · May 19, 2012

BONES

- SKULL - Anterior View of the Skull

MUSCLES

- Anatomy Tutorial

NEURO

- BRAINS - brain

- BRAINS & SENSORY ORGANS - https://homes.bio.psu.edu/people/faculty/strauss/anatomy/nerv/nervous.htm

MULTI SYSTEM (including bone & muscle :))

- Photo Gallery of Anatomy Models

- If your instructor won't let you take pictures of models, there are lots of links to photos of lab models at the bottom of this page - Biology 9

- I'd spend a little time playing around in the ccsfDOTedu page in the previous bullet point. There are links to other resources: animations of physiology concepts, more maricopa quizzes on specific topics, etc.

- Another list of A&P sources - A & P Websites

I know there are more than these, but this will give you a decent start. I suspect if you search all nurses (using the SEARCH box in the upper corner, you can find even more lists of resources).

luvofalex · May 19, 2012

Thank you sooo much. I really struggled last semester. The link that you inculded looks really helpful. I have about two weeks before my summer class starts but I really want to get a head start on things. The book that we use for school does not come with cd but I will definitely be looking for one. keep me in your prayers.

IndyElmer · May 19, 2012

My number one tip? Make sure you stay in lab the WHOLE time unless you feel that you REALLY KNOW the material forward and backward!

My school was a little different from yours. I took anatomy one term and physiology the next. Each had lab twice a week for 2 hours. In physio lab, I often didn't have a choice about staying the whole time because the labs took the whole time, and if we were done 10 or 20 minutes early, I would leave. But for anatomy lab, the days that I couldn't use the extra time were FEW and far between! Not sure what to do with that time? Here's what I would do for my anatomy lab that was 2 days per week.

Our instructor would do a brief introduction during which I would use a colored pen or highlighter to put check marks next to each structure that she said we needed to know from any given image. (She used the images from our lecture text so I had to bring my lab book and my lecture book.) Putting tick marks next to the images was faster than trying to write out every structure name. That way, I'd have a bit more time for when she mentioned "non-structure name" stuff like primary fxn of an organ/tissue, blood flow pathways, etc.

After the brief intro, she would set us free to use lab models. A lot of people would look at the current material for 20 minutes or so then leave. Instead, I would use that time to test myself on the PREVIOUS lab (or labs) material. (Our instructor always had out models for the current week & the previous week.) I would quiz classmates. They would quiz me. First by naming a structure and having the other point to it, then by pointing at a structure and saying "what is it?" followed by application questions like "what does it do?" "with what does it articulate?" "what is the pH here?" and other physiology related tidbits that our instructor mentioned. We would also get the instructor to quiz us. She was more than happy to do so.

The list of structures that she gave me "today" I would learn at home over the next two days then do self-quizzes in the NEXT lab. I didn't find it helpful to just sit there looking at the labeled pictures then back at the model. I much preferred learning anatomy structures at home (either using commercial or self-made flashcards with number-labeled images on the front and structure names on the back OR using textbook pages where I had put skinny little post-it covers over the labels so I could flip it up to see if I had the right name). Then using lab to CONFIRM that I really KNEW the material. I barely had to study for any of my lab tests because I had been testing myself in every lab.

For information that wasn't a structure to which I could point and say "what is this?" I made "flashtables" in a word processing program. You can see more about flashtables in comment #9 on this post - https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/nursing-student-need-707762.html

I know this won't be as useful for the physio part of A&P, but I hope it might help to make at least the anatomy part a lot easier. For physio, I used a LOT of flashtables (with dry erase board!) and came up with creative "big pictures" for helping me remember large amounts of information.

jocy_anne · May 20, 2012

I used the Kaplan Anatomy coloring book and thought it was one of my most useful tools throughout the courses. I would fill in the names for all the parts, and would then go back and color in each part. As I colored, I would say the name of it over and over again in my head. It helped me tremendously, but that was just my experience. I bought mine at Barnes and Noble. Good luck!

luvofalex · May 20, 2012

Okay so I have been doing some research since my last post. I found some wonderful websites that I will.definitely use throughout my course. If you Google "Anatomy drill and practice" the site will pull up. Its more of a quiz yourself site,with diagrams of all part's of the body. I also went to books a million and found the coloring books and Kaplan flash cards. They were extremely expensive there. I have decided to by them from amazon. Has anyone used the Kaplan anatomy flashcards before? Also, I haven't been able to find a CD for AP.....any suggestions?

IndyElmer · May 20, 2012

The Kaplan anatomy flashcards are likely quite adequate for the task at hand. The drawings are just a tad more "cartoonish" than in the Netter cards, but with access to both sets, my study group almost always used the Kaplan cards, occasionally supplementing with a few Netter cards.

There are pros and cons to each of the anatomy flashcard sets, but if I recall correctly, the Kaplan are one of the more affordable sets and worked quite well. When we used them, we could put a colored dot next to the number for each structure that we had to know for class. That way, we didn't waste time learning structures we didn't need to know.

If money is tight AND your class uses models rather than cadavers AND time isn't crazy tight, you really can use your own pictures (or pictures from online) of the models that your class is using, then just draw lines to each structure, number the line then write the number and structure name on the back or on a separate piece of paper. Using google, I found excellent images of more than 90% of the models our class used and made my own "flash-sheets" (where the model photo took up about 50-75% of the space on a piece of paper leaving lots of room for the number labels, and I usually put the answer key on a SEPARATE sheet, rather than the back, so that it was easier to look at the key AND the numbered photo during study sessions).

I have a nagging feeling that I didn't like the cards for muscles in that set. I know I ended up using the pictures out of my textbook so that I could have a superficial view, a view with the outermost muscles removed and then all but the deepest muscles removed. It was easier to see how everything "related" using that series of images rather than what came in the flashcards. (Plus muscles were one of the trickier ones for me, so I wanted my own set to have at home )

IndyElmer · May 20, 2012

Oops, just realized you asked about the A&P CD. The ones that I mentioned are exactly that title. I will retype the titles and include a link to the Amazon page (but you can also find through eBay, half.com and SO many other sources!)

Anatomy CD -- Practice Anatomy Lab 2.0 or 3.0 - I've never seen the 3.0 version, but I found the 2.0 version to be quite nice (and it's probably cheaper than 3.0!)

Link to PAL 2.0 - http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Anatomy-Lab-2-0-CD-ROM/dp/032154725X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337523709&sr=1-1

As you can see, the 2.0 version can be had for $2 plus $4 shipping!

Physiology CD (this is the one that I didn't like much, but some of my classmates loved) - Interactive Physiology 10-System Suite - don't freak about the $150 list price. In the USED section you can get it for as little as $3 (including shipping!) and on average it's about $2 plus $4 shipping. Amazon.com: Used and New: Interactive Physiology 10-System Suite

Although it's not a CD, if your instructor doesn't DRAW while they talk about physiology, you might like Dr. Najeeb's YouTube videos. I had a friend who failed physiology once and really improved her grade when she watched these (free?) videos. She found it hard to follow the laser pointer on complex, pre-printed, publisher provided graphics. Because Dr. Najeeb DRAWS as he lectures, you get to see step by step how the process develops. I think he has a very hypnotic voice and almost immediately feel sleepy when I try to watch the videos, but the content IS really good. I watched all of his series on the nephron because my instructor's lecture was really unclear to me. Drawing step-by-step really helped me clarify it and my study group used the his diagrams in our study sessions :)

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · May 20, 2012

youtube videos also help solidify the information. I've found many videos done by college students during their lab class. I learned more with those than I did in my own lab (had THE worst lab teacher ever). Many of the videos featured the same models I had in my own lab so I didn't have to worry about taking pictures etc. Also, if you google your body system that you are working on it usually will bring up tons of sites. For example if you are going to be tested on the bones and their structures google labelled models of human bones.

I saved myself a ton of money by using internet resources. Give it a shot and see if it helps.

luvofalex · May 22, 2012

hello everyone !

i just ordered [color=#004b91]interactive physiology 10-system suite ($1.50) & [color=#004b91]practice anatomy lab 2.0 cd-rom ($1.48)....great prices. i figured i may as well buy both of them (even if i dont like one) for that price. my class starts next wednesday. for some reason, i'm really excited. as i said before, i failed the class in spring 2012 and i am very determinded to get an a during the summer. i plan on using all of the resources that you guys have provided. i will keep you posted:)

IndyElmer · May 22, 2012

I found the anatomy CD super helpful. Wish I'd had it when I took (cadaver) anatomy lab a decade ago! (And I'm with you. The reason we bought the physio suite was that with it only being $6 with shipping, it seemed a worthy gamble. I hope you like it better than we did!)

Good luck!!