Need advice for A&P

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 20, 2008

what are you missing on the tests? do you review what you miss on these tests when you get them back? is it the material on the tests you are missing or the way the questions are asked?

nurse2b2010 · Dec 21, 2008

Daytonie, to tell you the truth, I am not sure what it is. I do go back and review the material. I think it is the way the teacher constructs the questions. I seem to do okay on naming the structures, but it's the physiology that I think I have the most trouble with. Her multiple choice questions are extremely hard and the essay questions even harder! I am at a loss on how to study for her exams at this point. I am considering on taking the class at a different school with a different instructor because I am thinking that I am just not relating to her style of teaching. I am very frustrated and discouraged at this point. I have used flash cards, written things over and over. I don't know how else to study for her tests.

allnurses Guide · Dec 21, 2008

You need to understand the physiology (the "why" and "how") enough so that you can explain it to someone else. That way, even if the question is phrased differently than you learned it, you can answer. Can you look into doing some self study before taking the class again? There are several textbooks that come with review guides, as well as CDs that have tons of questions and rationales to help you understand the answers. A&P is not about recognizing structures so much as what they do and how they interact with each other. Have you spoken to the instructor to get some input? Tried studying with other students who are doing better?

nurse2b2010 · Dec 21, 2008

I understand what you are saying and realize I do need to understand the functioning as well as the structures. Yes, I have talked to the instructor many times. I am not giving up. I want to be an RN. I have to learn how to study better for this class and get past it. As for studying with other students, I have done that on occasion, but not on a regular basis. I will look into some additional tutoring and other textbooks to utilize. I know I can do this, but I have to admit that it's been extremely hard for me. Thanks for your input.

statphleb SN · Dec 25, 2008

Have you tried to find the student in your class with the highest test scores? Maybe that person can show you how they study for that instructors tests? Hope you find what works! Good Luck!!

timothymichaeljett · Dec 26, 2008

My job allows me the opportunity to listen to my lectures repeatedly. By the time I sit down to study, I feel like I am reviewing. I am not very good at taking written notes and I cannot study notes while driving or working so taping lectures works very well for me.

Ninja Nurse, ASN · Dec 28, 2008

Your post reminded me of my experience with A/P I&II. I began to feel VERY overwhelmed just after the first week and like you looked for help on this forum. This wasn't too long ago, Spring 08 semester. One poster suggested that I record my notes on a voice recorder(office depot has them for like $40) and then take that with me everywhere.

I was at my wits end with note taking, flash cards, and study groups, and honestly I really didn't have MORE time to invest into studying than I already had. Now the key for me was recording STRAIGHT from the text or highlights from lecture in MY OWN VOICE. I listened everywhere, in the car, in line at the bank, at the doctor's office, while shopping, etc. I figured I had tried everything else, what harm could this do? Well I earned an A in A/P I and a B in AP II(summer)!

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck with your studies!

Don't give up on Nursing because of a REAL HARD science class.

AugustRain · Dec 28, 2008

The thing that helped me most with A&P was forming a study group. Having the different perspectives was so important to being able to understand the test questions. Some of the things we did...

Took turns "teaching" our strong points to each other, then explaining them back
Compared notes, then condensed them into key points to review
We each made up short quizzes in the same format as the tests (multiple choice, matching, short answer) and took them during study group. Bonus points if you caught a mistake haha.
Made our own drawings/diagrams/flow charts, then printed out blank copies or ones with missing info for us to fill in & practice.
Came up with silly phrases, etc to help us remember important points
Kept a list of questions. If there were things that we just couldn't figure out by the end of group, or if we found ourselves even more confused, we'd go to our professor's office hours together.
Asked for a blank sheet of paper at the beginning of the test and wrote down information (blood flow through the heart, acid/base charts, etc) before even looking at the questions. It's easy to question yourself and get nervous during the exam, so writing down things I was likely to forget while I was still confident was great.

We met at least once a week without fail, test or not, and actually had a pretty good time studying. Bring coffee or snacks and give yourselves a break to stretch and talk about something non-test related after you get through a chapter. When you get to the exam itself, just remind yourself that you know the info. My test-taking strategy was to try to answer the question before looking at the answers. I did the ones I knew first and didn't let myself change those answers. I then went back and let myself debate/work through the remaining questions. I still use a lot of these techniques and they've worked well so far!

the_untamed_mind · Dec 29, 2008

Physio is something like studying the cause & effect, the why's and the what happened after that and most importantly, correlating the concepts with each other so you'll have a whole logical picture out of it. Until and unless you start thinking that way, which I hope you'll do eventually, I think you'll have a hard time passing the subject. Anatomy is lil boring, so try applying it with "functions", i.e. physio. There's a whole lot of logic in the body so think one concept in consideration of another one. Have a big picture of organ systems,their functions, group them together and find the reason why they must act that way. If you know the "normal", you'll understand the "abnormal" of the pathopysio. Consider all angles or flaws. But before you can do that, start with the "Basics".

I just passed my board (self reviewed)and will take med soon, hopefully. To you, Break the Leg. If they (we) can, You can. =)

~Jef

blue_yuina · Dec 29, 2008

do study group... A&P is really hard. when I took it when I was just a second year student and our class was composed of, I think, 30-35 students we were only 5 who passed 2 grading periods. But I was afraid at that time that I would not have an enough grade to be able to enter BSN so my friends and I decided to form a study group. Well, thank GOD we all passed and I was able to get the grade I needed.

don't be afraid that you won't be able to keep up in a study group. You are there to learn... you should keep that on your mind...

and one more thing... basics are not just basics... they'll be your foundation... don't be contended on one reference... if you can't understand a certain topic look for another book or search the internet or ask somebody if you're really desperate. and of course we're here to help you...

nobhill · Jan 2, 2009

I have the same problem and spent this last semester figuring out what I could do to improve my grade in A&P. Here are some suggestsions:

- I bought every study guide so that I could practice the multiple choice questions.

- I did a www.google.com search on A&P Study questions so that I could find more multiple choice questions.

- I found out that the textbook my professor uses is available online and in an auditory format, which has helped my studying tremendously. I can download the important points and listen to them whenever I can. Since I am an auditory learner, hearing the material helps me retain it better.

- There are practice guides prepared by a Dr. and are available on www.amazon.com [his last name starts with an L--if you search on A&P study guides in Amazon you will find it becasue it is mentioned in reviews by users of other study guides.]

- You might want to be tested in case you have an undiagnosed learning disability. Often, this might be why someone does really well on one part of the course and really poorly on others. If you do have a learning disability, you are entitled to accomodations under the Americans With Disabilities Act. The school probably has a department that deals with these issues and can provide the testing at a minimal cost.

- If you use study guides, take advantage of the online versions. These are really helpful and I often cut and paste the materials and pictures to a study outline.

Hope this helps... :)

Nobhill

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