I will be starting nursing school in less than a week and I've just realized how much of the information learned during my A&P prerequisites I have forgotten. I took my a&P classes almost a year ago.
Is this normal?
I feel like now I'm gonna have to study even more than anybody else because I've forgotten so much about Anatomy and Physiology.
What can I do? I feel so clueless reading through the book. I do remember learning about it but I don't remember the details .
For example, this is how my reading on the respiratory system went:
I forgot what surfactant was for, I forgot the name of some of the parts of the upper respiratory system, I forgot the function of the epiglottis, I forgot how many lobules each lung has, I forgot what pulmonary ventilation, respiration, perfusion were.
I think you'll be just fine. You know more than you think, I just think it hasn't clicked with you yet. Once you start nursing school, it will all click and make sense. You'll start making those connections and all the information you've learned will all come together. It will make sense, you're just not there yet.
If you're still worried, I echo Khan Academy or some other basic review to help you jog your memory. Just review and don't stress out. Everything will make sense soon! You know more than you think.
Then explain to me why it wasn't important to take the 10 seconds to learn it the first time? Are they going to forget it again? I'm not a frazzled person at all. It just annoys the crap out of me in class when we are constantly going over stuff people should already know. And yes, my instructors have said several times brush up on your A&P. But people don't know the basic concepts. In my opinion, it's more important than advanced physics. When you are in charge of lives, knowing the info is kind of important.
I don't need a chill pill. Are we still in the 80's here? I think I used that phrase in the 5th or 6th grade. I used to say it to my mom. lol. My and GrnTea's whole point is if you don't take A&P seriously enough to learn it, which is your whole foundation for nursing school, then how are you going to take nursing school seriously enough to pass it.
I see tons and tons of people in here and in my classes complaining that they are failing. They don't understand the rigors of school and then complain how unfair life is and it's the school and instructors fault for everything. Not ever taking responsibility for themselves and their study habits. I have to listen complain that the tests aren't fair and the questions are too hard and how are they expected to know this stuff. It got so bad in Med/Surg I last semester that the instructors won't take any more questions this semester. Our instructor said the first day to forget about asking any questions about tests, emails only and people need to have rationales ready and such. Which is the way it should have been last semester. I know though sometimes it is hard on the instructor when you have 10 people coming at you at once. So that is my soapbox. Sitting here explaining the importance of A&P to a new student is good so they don't fail out the first semester. I feel giving a little tough love is way better than coddling.
Just because OP say she doesn't remember a lot of it, that doesn't mean that she doesn't take it seriously. Yes we have to know A&P, but it's hard to get comfortable and have all the information down pat when you're not using it on a day to day basis. I'm sure OP has retained a lot of the information, much more than she probably realizes, but right now it's a bunch of fuzzy information with no real context. She's not a seasoned nurse, using her skills every day. She hasn't even started nursing school yet! Nursing school is where the magic happens people!!! Of course OP doesn't know/remember anything. It'll all come flooding back.
Nursing school is tough. Classmates will complain, instructors will complain, etc. I'm sorry you're annoyed with people in your program. A good lesson to learn is that not everyone learns the same way you do, and not at the same pace. You may be super student, but your classmates may not be. Since you seem to know the info really well, why not help your classmates? Allow them to vent to you over coffee, then help each other. You lend a helping hand, it helps others, lessens the complaining and the instructors are happy that no one's whining. Everyone wins and learns something in the process.
Edit: didn't realize this was an old post! Ah, well, my advice still stands to anyone reading!
NurseDisneyPrincess
66 Posts
I think you'll be just fine. You know more than you think, I just think it hasn't clicked with you yet. Once you start nursing school, it will all click and make sense. You'll start making those connections and all the information you've learned will all come together. It will make sense, you're just not there yet.
If you're still worried, I echo Khan Academy or some other basic review to help you jog your memory. Just review and don't stress out. Everything will make sense soon! You know more than you think.