I am afraid of Anatomy and Physiology

BrandonLPN, LPN · Mar 22, 2015

Do you mean harder than high school A&P? If so then, yes, of course. It will go more in depth.

In my A&P class I'm in currently, I find it helpful to do a little of my own research when I'm having a hard time grasping a concept. I'll look it up on Wikipedia or WebMD or YouTube. Sometimes having the concept presented to you from a different angle can make all the difference.

mailchimp · Mar 23, 2015

This post makes my brain hurt. LPN will be harder than a single A&P course, yes.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 23, 2015

A&P is mostly a lot of memorization of stuff. There's not much to be afraid about it. It just "is" for lack of a better way to describe it. The hardest part of A&P is that it's just a lot of "stuff" that you have to go over. Nursing school is much harder, but in a different way than probably almost anything you'll have experienced to date. Basically once you learn to think like a nurse, the hard part is really over... LPN school is hard, but it's very doable if you follow the process and let it work.

The good news about A&P is that since it's mostly memorization and the like, it can be approached like any other science class you've had to date. It's OK to be apprehensive about taking the course, but don't let fear control you and make you bail out of taking the course.

Happy studying!

caliotter3 · Mar 23, 2015

To get in the mood for Anat/Phys, start out with a course in Biology, even if your program does not require it. You can take the course on your own from the local community college.

MurseJJ · Mar 23, 2015

To get in the mood for Anat/Phys, start out with a course in Biology, even if your program does not require it. You can take the course on your own from the local community college.

This is a great idea. Some schools may even require that you take General Biology I prior to A&P I. Either way, I think this would be a good way to start to learn how to study for science courses, and you'll cover some of the material you'll see in A&P I. I personally did General Bio I and II prior to A&P I and II (wasn't sure what I wanted to do), and it helped.

As already mentioned, anatomy and physiology includes a lot of memorization (anatomy moreso than physiology). It helps to constantly go through the material, over and over, until you get it (the same principle applies to pharmacology). Making flash cards will probably be a good idea if you study with those. There are also review books available to help you understand the material. It is very doable, you just have to spend time studying.

Also, remember that in your nursing courses, anatomy and physiology will come back to "haunt" you, as what you do as a nurse is based on the anatomy and physiology of the body. :)

Good luck!

caliotter3 · Mar 23, 2015

Is your LPN program in a community college or at a proprietory school or Regional Occupational Program? If at a proprietory school, usually the only requirements to get admitted are high school algebra and high school chemistry, then all required courses are integrated into the LPN program itself. However, if your LPN program is at a community college, you may have some of the same prerequisite/co-requisite courses as the RN program. There you would expect to see separate courses for biology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, etc. There is no reason why you can not enroll in the community college course for biology to help you with your LPN program science. After you complete your biology course, you can enroll in anatomy, or anatomy/physiology I. Since you are most likely to continue your education in nursing anyway, this would get you on track earlier, rather than later. Good luck.

Wave Watcher · Mar 23, 2015

Step up to those classes....take charge, slap it around and show it who's boss. Don't ever let fear keep you from trying and succeeding! You CAN do this! ;-) Good luck.

RamTaur · Mar 23, 2015

When I took my A&P class, I also took a physical fitness class just to ease the stress, this helped significantly. I also took on a tutor who guided, and challenged my thinking process. She was very instrumental in my basic fundamental approach. I learned the skeleton very well. Also, we were required to work on cadavers. And, yes LPN school is tougher that's why you want to prepare yourself well, prior to.

Your physiology class will help you understand Psychology better, if you haven't already taken it. Jump in! education is a wonderful thing to experience.........good luck!

kidzcare · Mar 23, 2015

A&P is a lot of memorization. How in depth it will be will depend on your instructor.

I took A&P 1 and A&P 2 with different instructors. For 1, the instructor approached things with the attitude of "You are all pretty much here because you are entering the nursing program. Here is what you need to know for nursing" The instructor for 2 had the approach more along the lines of "You are here because you want to know EVERY SINGLE DETAIL of how the human body works. Nothing will be left unsaid or untested. By the end of this class you will be reciting every muscle, vein, hormone, and individual neuron by nicknames that I have given them in backwards alphabetical order. Enjoy the next 16 weeks"

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2015

If you're afraid of a lil ol' A&P now, how are you going to face the nursing school monsters later on like med-surg and pharmacology? Get over that fear already!

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Mar 23, 2015

if you are only wanting to do easy things then nursing may not be for you. After all, nursing is about caring for the body. Yes, A&P can be hard, but remember, you will have an instructor teaching you and you will have the chance to ask questions and learn form various resources as already mentioned. The trick is focusing. Something that helped me was to buy the "Gray"s Anatomy Coloring Book". Could be in your bookstore. You will be able to color in various things you are learning. This reinforces what you learn.