My A&P Elephant

[keithjones]

As I begin looking over my A&P book seeing all I will have to learn this semester, not counting my CNA class, algebra, and Psych, I remember the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" I feel a bit overwhelmed with all I must memorize this semester but I guess if I cant remember all the bones in the arm I can break it down and memorize the hand first then the forearm, etc. Am I oversimplifying?

[Student KMW]

i think it's much easier to learn body systems in smaller chunks than to try a whole system at once. I use flashcards and, for instance, with bones I did the head first, then the vertebrae, the arms, etc. Each time I felt confident with one section i would add more flashcards, but keep the old and just build on. I hope that makes sense.

[Nepenthe Sea]

i actually took my anatomy already and got an a on bones test. i could tell you one thing that'll help a lottt, memorize the bones by actually holding the bones in your hands. my school offered this in our lab so i dont know if your school does too but it makes it so much easier because you can visualize the parts clearly. and then when you dont have the bones with you, you can just look at your own hand or leg etc.. and name those parts.

as far as the vertabra.. here's a really easy way i learned it from top to bottom.

7 cervicle (both 7 and cervicle start with a ''sss'')

12 thoracic (both 12 and thoracic start with a ''ttt'')

5 lumbar (this is the only one left so i just remember this)

you can also remember that 7 + 5 = 12 (making the 24 vertebra)

hope this helps!

i knew some people that used this to remember the vertebrae:

you eat breakfast at 7:00 (7),

lunch at 12:00 (12),

and dinner at 5:00 (5).

[keithjones]

thanks for all the help and encouragement! My math class uses the my math lab online stuff I am half way through the review section (only took 6 hours) and feeling like I have a week math foundation, though I scored 99th percentile on the NLN. just read the first chapter in my CNA text, starting the second in a few minutes. already outlined the first few chapters in the A&P text and memorized the regions, planes, etc from the first few chapteers. only thing i havent cracked yet is psych book, but i should be a pro there, all that an I have 6 days till classes begin!

[newbebop, ADN, BSN, MSN]

Best of luck, you can do it..one bite at a time. ;-)

Definatly take pics of class models if possible as these are the ones you will be using for the test. There were some sites online with good pics of the models as well.

also, although no where near the detail, look at the Halloween decorations. just holding a skeletan in your hand and walking through the bone placement can help. I used my son. It became our bedtime routine to go through what ever I was working on at the time. (he loved it) He still remembers some of the arm and skull bones, lol.

you are off to a great start!