Is there dissection in A&P or other science classes?

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I know this sounds totally silly, but I was wondering how much dissection, if any, there is in the science classes?

More specifically, are there any frog dissections?

I don't have a problem with the action itself but I am DEATHLY terrified of frogs. (Don't laugh! It's horrible..) Even dead ones. I know I won't be able to do it. I KNOW it. I get panic attacks at the mere thought of them. It isn't pretty. Give me a cow brain or a goat heart, but I can't handle the frogs. (Even typing about this is making my heart beat fast..)

Anyway, :o Are there frog dissections in any of your classes? I need to know if I should start preparing myself for this. Thanks. :)

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we skinned and dissected a cat. dissected a kidney, heart, lung, liver, cows eye, and a sheeps brain.

that cat was a smell I will never forget. And one of them was pregnant and we had to dissect the babies too.

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I think that it depends on each school. It'd be a good idea to e-mail the professors of those classes, and ask them which animals the students will be dissecting.

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We will be dissecting a cat in A&P 2. I'm not looking forward to it :crying2:.

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My comm college uses cadavers.

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Wow, a cat? Cadavers? I guess I'll have to put on my big girl panties and deal! I'm just relieved no one has said frogs yet. :)

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We did cats.

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Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care.
My comm college uses cadavers.

What school? I took Applied A&P online and we used "virtual" cadavers - we had access to a site (I actually bought the DVD, it was cheaper) where we could go through all the different layers, depending on what system we were working on... they had a histology section too which was REALLY cool. Then on the exam, we had to identify specific structures based on an image from the software (not as easy as it sounds, especially since they were from all different angles).

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Specializes in Med/ Surg/ Telemetry, Public Health.

A&P 1 we did a cow's heart, A&P 2 we did a cat. I refused to be the one in my group to cut. Very disgusting and stinky.

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Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care.

Just a sidenote - I took Anatomy in high school (not sure if there was a Physiology portion) and we did have to do some dissection. And yes it does stink!

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In A&P1 we used fetal pigs and a cow's eye. In A&P2 we used a heart and a lung (I'm not sure from what animal, but both organs were huge). My college also has a cadaver's dissection, but it's completely optional.

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I have taken countless bio courses, and I can honestly say that the only class where I dissected a frog was in the 7th grade.

In Biology II, we dissected fetal pigs, and in Human A&P I and II, we worked with cats and human cadavers, along with swine parts, goat organs, etc.

If you are truly concerned, talk to the professor before you register and ask what dissections are part of curriculum.

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