A&P 1 Spring 08

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

Hi y'all! Anybody taking A&P 1 this coming spring semester? I'm trying to get as many pre-req's out of the way as possible and could use a study buddy or 2! Thanks! :)

Today was my second week of anatomy and physiology and i think i have the key to success in this class. it is to read everyday and make flash cards and record yourself saying the terms over and listening to it as much as you can. The more variety you can put into this class, the better chances you have at memorizing and learning the information.

good luck future nurses

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I just had my first lab today. Nothing really exciting. We went over directional terms, some anatomical terminology and the details of the take home quiz that will be our first quiz of the semester. Katie, our school used to do the cat dissections and that was one of my biggest freak outs, but they eliminated the cats and brought in 2 cadavers instead. :barf02: I know I'm going to have to get used to death in this field and make my own peace with it, but I thought that would happen during the Nursing program and not during Anatomy. Anyone else working with cadavers? Tips? Reassurances? Thus far, all I know about them is that the smell is terrible and they'll have a green appearance from the wetting solution that needs to be sprayed on them regularly. ugh....

-Kristine

Well, I tell you we had cadavers. The first thing our instructor told us was that these people donated their bodies for students to use and to learn from. Now, that might not sound like a big deal but when you hear horror stories of them using homeless, unclaimed bodies it is a little unnerving. Now, the smell is the hardest at first. First, what our instructor had us to was use Mentholatum under our nostrils so the smell wouldn't be so overwhelming at first. This helped more than you can imagine. You can still smell the solution used on the cadavers but the Menthol smell is stronger and gives your nose something to focus on besides the smell of death. Second, we were allowed to place a cloth over the face of the cadaver. Some of them had their eyes partially open and that freaked people out so the instructor went in and covered their faces. When we were ready, the last days, we did facial ID. The exposure previously helped ease the transition into seeing this cadavers face and eyes. We were not allowed to call the cadavers people, that made some people freak out so the instructor said it best if we just used the cadaver term. Finally, we were allowed to be in groups and those that were comfortable were allowed to do the actual dissection and those uncomfortable were allowed to observe and were not penalized for not physically touching them.

The main thing is to speak up if there is something you are against or uncomfortable with. I don't mean making a scene in lab, simply talk to the instructor in private about your level of comfort.

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I ordered some flashcards. i hope those help even if I'm not writing them myself.

I saw some at the bookstore (books a million) the other day, I think im going to get them as well. Who really has time to make all the flashcards anyway? As long as you study them you will benefit from them, or at least thats what im thinking :)

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

My first ANP class went well, I was the most overprepared person in class I think :)

I got these flashcards, and I really like them - http://www.amazon.com/Netters-Anatomy-Flash-Cards-STUDENT/dp/1416039740/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200448841&sr=8-2

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Well, 2nd class today (we have one 4 hour lecture in the week and a 2 hour lab). It went pretty well although my out-of-practice brain is freaking out over all of this information already. We did tissues today :) I spent the evening making flashcards which I plan on taking everywhere (I spend about 2 hours on transit a day, so that'll help)

The only problem is my teacher is not very supportive. When you ask questions she makes you feel really stupid- I'm not the only one of my classmates feeling this and questions have essentially stopped in class. So I think we're going to have to work even harder together to make up for the lack of help on the teacher's side.

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I saw some at the bookstore (books a million) the other day, I think im going to get them as well. Who really has time to make all the flashcards anyway? As long as you study them you will benefit from them, or at least thats what im thinking :)

I bought the Netter flashcards and found them helpful. BUT, I also made my own flashcards. There is something about writing your own flashcards that makes the information stick in your brain better. Also, some people find it helpful to read their flashcards out loud and record them, because hearing the information also helps with retaining it.

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Specializes in Certified Nurse-Midwife.
My first ANP class went well, I was the most overprepared person in class I think :)

I got these flashcards, and I really like them - http://www.amazon.com/Netters-Anatomy-Flash-Cards-STUDENT/dp/1416039740/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200448841&sr=8-2

those are the ones i ordered.

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I think we have a cadaver too, but I don't know if my teacher was joking about that or not! I know we have a cat dissection and also a dissection of a sheep's eye. I started taking this class over a year ago then dropped so all this was no surprise, and so I think I'm ready to go for it, no matter how yucky I might find it! :bugeyes: But what helped me alot actually was the thread "So you're observing in the OR" which I think was under general nursing. I kinda got my mind wrapped around the idea that this is something I am going to have to deal with and just get over! But on that thread they mentioned something that you can pick up at a pharmacy, It's something that you put on your nose (?) and has a particular smell that lessens the smell of all the chemicals that go along with cutting people open. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? They mentioned it for nurses working in the OR but maybe it'd work for smelly cadavers too?

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Well, I tell you we had cadavers. The first thing our instructor told us was that these people donated their bodies for students to use and to learn from. Now, that might not sound like a big deal but when you hear horror stories of them using homeless, unclaimed bodies it is a little unnerving. Now, the smell is the hardest at first. First, what our instructor had us to was use Mentholatum under our nostrils so the smell wouldn't be so overwhelming at first. This helped more than you can imagine. You can still smell the solution used on the cadavers but the Menthol smell is stronger and gives your nose something to focus on besides the smell of death. Second, we were allowed to place a cloth over the face of the cadaver. Some of them had their eyes partially open and that freaked people out so the instructor went in and covered their faces. When we were ready, the last days, we did facial ID. The exposure previously helped ease the transition into seeing this cadavers face and eyes. We were not allowed to call the cadavers people, that made some people freak out so the instructor said it best if we just used the cadaver term. Finally, we were allowed to be in groups and those that were comfortable were allowed to do the actual dissection and those uncomfortable were allowed to observe and were not penalized for not physically touching them.

The main thing is to speak up if there is something you are against or uncomfortable with. I don't mean making a scene in lab, simply talk to the instructor in private about your level of comfort.

Mentholatum was what I was talking about! Thanks for the post!

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Good luck to YOu I am also in the same boat A&P, Nutrition, Algebra & Music which I might change to Chemistry yikes!!!!!:idea: with toddlers and possible full time work

Is anyone else in the same boat as me?

I'm taking A&P I this spring, but I also just got accepted to the nursing program so I'll be taking that along with Nursing Process I. They are co-reqs at my school but I think most people take A&P before they start the nursing classes :chair:

Now that the shock is wearing off, I'm wondering what I've gotten myself into....

Oh yeah, and I also have to take nutrition as an intersession course, it's only 2 weeks long. That's going to be fun...did I mention I have 2 toddlers?! :uhoh3:

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

We don't have cadavers in my class :(

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any tips for studyin the humerus

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