I've had it! Is this normal?

[Ms Kylee]

Anatomy class tonight... 2 chapters on Cardiac. The instructor just breezed through both chapters and pretty much leaving all of us with the deer in the headlight looks.

We told him 3 times to slow down and explain things because we're not getting it/understanding what he's trying to teach, and he kept saying "You'll understand it and it will all make sense when we do vessels tomorrow night".

Now, most of us are pretty smart, and usually don't have much of a problem following.

I just feel like we're being pushed aside and we're not important because we're the part time class, and the only thing they care about is getting the full timers out the door and graduated.

Our class president went to the Director and expressed our concerns about how we're not seeming to get all of the stuff we need (lab time, tutoring, etc), and she was pretty much blown off. Other classmates went to her and explained that they were having trouble with Anatomy and were told that all they had to do to pass the tests was to memorize the objectives in the book.

Is this normal? I'm really this close to throwing in the towel and saying the hell with it, and enrolling in the RN program at my hospital.

[GeauxNursing]

This is an interactive web site I set up when I was taking anatomy. Feel free to check it out, it may be helpful.

http://www.thehotflash.com/ap112/

Oldiebutgoodie

that is too cute! I haven't started A and P (or anything) yet, but I am standing by with my A and P coloring book! And A and P for Dummies!

[clementine1027]

i have been an lpn for 18 years. i have med surg experience, rehab experience with vent patients. i currently work maternity and newborn nursery, and this is where most of my experience lies.

i understand from your post you have much experience and have seen these terms in the clinical field. i truly have never come across the terms neuromuscular junction or endochondrial ossification at work. i also asked co-workers if they had ever seen these terms at work. they stated they had not, and one woman has been a nurse for 34 years with much er experience, as well as maternity and newborn nursery experience.

i do read patients histories and physicals and i give good, safe nursing care.

i appreciate your feedback.

clementine1027

i don't know how long you have been an lpn or how frequently and routinely you read patient histories and physicals or procedure reports, but these terms are going to show up on these reports (maybe not the krebs cycle so much). knowing what they are and how they are contributing to a disease process is important to know. it affects the treatment a patient is getting. this is why pre-requisites include taking these classes. you deal with this stuff in school so you don't have to take the time out of your busy workdays later to look the importance of them up. as students you need to keep your minds open and trust nursing educators as to why you are being asked to learn these things. if if weren't important to learn these things, don't you think nursing educators would have dropped these classes from the curriculums long ago as they are trying to crank out well-trained nurses as fast as they can to meet the shortage?

[allthingsbright]

Anatomy class tonight... 2 chapters on Cardiac. The instructor just breezed through both chapters and pretty much leaving all of us with the deer in the headlight looks.

We told him 3 times to slow down and explain things because we're not getting it/understanding what he's trying to teach, and he kept saying "You'll understand it and it will all make sense when we do vessels tomorrow night".

Now, most of us are pretty smart, and usually don't have much of a problem following.

I just feel like we're being pushed aside and we're not important because we're the part time class, and the only thing they care about is getting the full timers out the door and graduated.

Our class president went to the Director and expressed our concerns about how we're not seeming to get all of the stuff we need (lab time, tutoring, etc), and she was pretty much blown off. Other classmates went to her and explained that they were having trouble with Anatomy and were told that all they had to do to pass the tests was to memorize the objectives in the book.

Is this normal? I'm really this close to throwing in the towel and saying the hell with it, and enrolling in the RN program at my hospital.

Yeah, we get this a lot in nursing classes. Much of it is self-study and we have to really work to figure things out on our own. I think with A&P there is SO MUCH info, there just isnt time to explain each thing...it really is sort of an infanite subject. I was very happy with my B in there!

GL!

[allthingsbright]

Well, guess what... it all did make sense the next night when we did the vessels. And I managed to get a 95 on the test for that unit. I have a 95% going into the final on the 23rd.

Everyone in class is stressing about the final, and last night in clinical, my instructor offered the following words of encouragement. First, the school is there to make money, and it isn't in their best interests to create a final that most everyone wouldn't pass. He then said that we were the best clinical group that he has had, and that he doesn't think any one of us in this clinical group will fail. We were then told that those who would have most likely failed the final have already resigned from the program. It's kind of a weird feeling that even if I do bomb the final, I will still pass the class. I've never been in that siituation before.

oh good-glad it worked out!

[Ms Kylee]

Well, it's all over.... I got a 94 on the final, 2 extra points on my grade for scoring above national level on the Anatomy achievement test, and I ended up with a 95% for the class. It's odd for it to be over since I've felt like I've beem married to that darn Anatomy book for the past 4 months. :monkeydance:

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragment. It's nice to know I can come here and know someone understands all of the stress I'm going through.... it's very much appreciated.