HELP! Best advice on passing Anatomy & Physiology?!!

Nursing Students Student Assist

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HELP!

I am so freaked out about A&P 1. There is so much information to learn in such a small period of time! My first test is in 2 weeks and it is on the first 4 chapters in the book! I don't know what to study. Is this class all about memorization? What tips can you all share with me on the best way to succeed in this class?

A&P is a LOT of memorization and when you memorize you have to memorize everything. When I took it, I wrote the info, talked the info out, used note cards, all depending on what I needed to know. Just keep it up and try as hard as you can, that's about all you can do. Try NOT to procrastinate. Good Luck!

I am studying for the NLN now on tons of stuff that I just don't remember. I read it again and again and again. Then I write it all out just to reiterate what I read. And reading through everything even a few minutes here and there totally helps get it to sink it. I am also big into acronyms. And I am all about any since point I can get in extra credit. I even ask the teacher if I can write an extra report, etc. to help ease my stress.

Flash cards

Mnemonics - On old Olympus' treeless top a Finn and German viewed a hop

rote memorization

Specializes in LTC.

The MSN Group that Daytonite suggested is great. It isn't overwhelming but has a lot of information, especially to refresh what you went over in class.

This thread reminds me of one of my a/p teachers telling us some very naughty poems to memorize mnemonics. ;) Like the other person said, things that evoke emotion (or shock-like naughty poems!) stick with you.

Nobody mentioned this but, if you can, cherry pick your instructors before you even register for an a/p or micro class. Not to look for easy ones, but to look for organized ones that know their stuff and write intelligent tests.

Tofutti

Touch each part that you are studying, also visualize the parts while touching the area located, repeat the name out loud, while thinking of its function. When you see other people, think of the name of the part you are looking at. This will keep you actively engaged and keep it fun. If you have a husband/wife, play anatomist. :)

I'm currently in A&P 1 and about to fail. The way my class is set up the physiology portion of the class is worth 75% of the final grade, while the anatomy lab makes up the other 25%. In the physiology section we have a quiz every week, a take home quiz every two weeks, and 3 exams. The anatomy lab consists of 4 practicals in which there are ten models, five labelled parts (bone/muscle/nerves/digestive) per model, and a woman with a stop watch telling you to move every two minutes. The reason I ask is because I can't imagine being able to juggle this class with a full schedule. I have a high 90 in the physiology portion of the class, but I can't manage to memorize the hundreds of terms on the practical. I can't memorize things that I can make sense of, but memorizing each bone is too much to handle. I know nursing school is a lot of hard work and I'm not concerned about that, but how much of it is learning about the body versus memorizing random bones? Should I change professions?

Specializes in SDU, Tele.
I'm currently in A&P 1 and about to fail. The way my class is set up the physiology portion of the class is worth 75% of the final grade, while the anatomy lab makes up the other 25%. In the physiology section we have a quiz every week, a take home quiz every two weeks, and 3 exams. The anatomy lab consists of 4 practicals in which there are ten models, five labelled parts (bone/muscle/nerves/digestive) per model, and a woman with a stop watch telling you to move every two minutes. The reason I ask is because I can't imagine being able to juggle this class with a full schedule. I have a high 90 in the physiology portion of the class, but I can't manage to memorize the hundreds of terms on the practical. I can't memorize things that I can make sense of, but memorizing each bone is too much to handle. I know nursing school is a lot of hard work and I'm not concerned about that, but how much of it is learning about the body versus memorizing random bones? Should I change professions?

Have you ever tried getting the anatomy coloring book? I am awful about memorizing names. But coloring in names and the bone/muscle/whatever made it stick to my head a lot better!! also, try labeling games. there are so many online! don't change professions if its something you love, you just need to work around it using other tools.

Specializes in Infusion.

The more you look at the actual bones and bone parts, the easier it is to remember. Some people in my class would make their own "coloring pages" and copy them and try to label them from memory. I thought that was a great idea. The only thing I did was to memorize the bones on the model a couple days before the bone quizzes and then an hour before the actual quiz. Do I remember every bone in the body? Nope and neither do most of my classmates in nursing school.

Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.

I bought the coloring book and didn't even use it...so I have no idea how helpful it is.

*laugh*

I have no easy tips.

How'd I study for A&P?

For LAB?

I sketch the anatomy during class - then I go home and study. It works like flashcards. You just go over the structures, reciting in a particular order until you can recall.

I studied in such a way because our lab practicals were fill-in-the-blank.

...and they'd take points off for misspelled words. So...you had to KNOW it.

Not just have an 'idea'.

But every class is different.

Also, our lab instructor let us come in and work with the models. This helped a great deal.

We tested over the muscular system some while ago and I missed half the questions on the forearm because I couldn't tell what the heck I was looking at. *laugh*

Ok, I know the muscles.

Next time the class met, my prof was like, "How did you miss it when the answer is right here? DRUNK!"

...because I even wrote the muscles down 'in order' (mind you) on the answer sheet!

*laugh*

Problem is, I studied from the lab book and an independent site only...and that model was constructed in a weird way. I didn't bother going to look at the model because I thought, "Ah...it's just the arm. There's only so many muscles on the arm. It's either one or the other..."

Well...*laugh*

I was so frazzled that I missed an entire lab table(5 questions for the exam).

Professor was like, "Oh, you were the one missing a table. How many questons were on this exam? What'd I say? I said '85...' DRUNK!"

*laugh*

Still passed. 82.

For lecture...

I HAVE to sit there and take notes from the book. I will also draw to memorize how one structure relates to the other. This helps a great deal.

Page by page. Paragraph by paragtaph. It's more work and time spent, but our professor asks random questions on the test. Beyond this? I can't just 'read' and 'recall' random information.

I'm not good at memorizing random facts. Mnemonics don't really help me. Re-reading random facts doesn't help me, either.

I have to break it down. Understand...something. *laugh*

It's the initial 'breakdown' that's a pain in the butt. But...one time is all that it takes.

Once I understand how everything relates, I'm good.

I just have to see a 'process'. A pattern. A 'function'.

...and, fortunately, in physiology there will always be one. *wink*

Group work speeds up the process. It helps - but I don't have that luxury.

It's not impossible to do well.

Sing. Don't laugh! In my CNA class when we had to learn how to xfer a pt from the bed to a wc the song "the wheels on the bus go round and round" popped into my head and I changed the lyrics to say, "the brakes on the chair are locked locked locked, locked locked locked...the brakes on the bed are locked, locked, locked...and then we move". Now every time I'm doing that skill "my" song pops into my head reminding me to lock the brakes on the bed and the chair. This isn't the only time I've used a song to help remember stuff and it really does help LOL!

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