Accelerated A&P and 2 weeks to learn a ton of info!

[Trenata]

My A&P I class is getting heavy duty. I am in an accelerated, ONLINE 8 week class and right now I am totally freaked about all the info I have to cover and have down in the next two weeks. I have to learn 4 chapters muscle tissue, the muscular system, neural tissue, and control and regulation. This is easily over 200 pages and another 200 pages of power point slides and then memorizing the PP slides. I have 4 quizzes, 3 lab assignments, 1 lab practical and 1 exam in the next 2 weeks. I am basically not sure how I am going to do it all. My instructor is not easy and pulls random questions out of the text and really works to make us put 2 and 2 together. She gives us really tricky questions on the quizzes and exam.

If anyone has ever taken an online, accelerated A&P class - if you have any tips on how to get this stuff down quickly, I would love to hear it. The clock is ticking....

I am basically studying all day from 8-1pm (of course with little breaks), picking up my son and doing mom stuff, and then studying again for an hour or more in the evenings with a couple of hours each day on Saturday and Sunday - and even this is NOT enough time to cover all this material. Others have managed to do it...how I don't know! Maybe I will be fine, but I am feel like I can't do it...

I sometimes wonder if I should just skip reading the text, but it is an online course. So, that could be really bad!

[missnurse01, MSN, RN]

omg, I would never take an accelerated a and p! wow, you have guts! You need to devote ALL of the weekend to studying, and ALL of every evening. find study partners if you are local to anyone else in the class for cram sessions, and get tutoring. Your every minute probably needs to be studying to make it through this class.

good luck

[donk]

An anatomy colouring book is really helpful for bones and muscles, and flash cards are a good learning tool as well. Good luck!!!

[zoe92]

I would recommend reading the textbook & taking notes on the powerpoint. Maybe even record yourself & listen back so it is like an in class lecture. Good luck!

[Trenata]

Thanks y'all! I appreciate the advice.

I don't know when I would have time to record it all due to the constant reading and assignments! Yikes - I decided to skip reading the muscular system chapter in the textbook and just memorize the power point slides for this particular chapter and important concepts my prof highlighted. Although that probably won't cover all that is on the exam, it should cover most of the exam questions - the chapter is just explaining mostly anatomy - if I skip reading the whole chapter then I will have time to do everything! I think the most important part is memorizing the anatomy of the muscular system for this chapter. That is what I did for bone anatomy and it worked out well. I have been coloring my power point slides and finding mnemonics too...

[16mm]

And your class is 8 weeks! Mine is 5! But it doesn't start until this summer and I've already started memorizing the skeletal and muscular system and reading the chapters. Hopefully it helps!

Good luck to you!

[Trenata]

I know, I have wondered how in the heck people do it in 5 weeks! I guess if you that is ALL you do for 5 weeks, it would work. My prof said they skip several chapters which include the cell biology and chemistry for the summer course. She actually gave us the lectures that she does for her 5 week summer class.

Memorizing bones and muscles ahead of time will DEFINITELY HELP YOU! Good luck to you as well!

[CDEWannaBe]

Fast track online classes usually require me to study about 30 hours a week for the full 8 weeks. Because you've kind of procrastinated you may need someone to babysit your son in the next couple of weeks to give you more study time. Do whatever you can to be focused exclusively on school.

The coloring books seemed too time consuming to me, but use them if they help you. What worked for me was flash cards because I kept them in my purse and anytime I had a spare minute I studied them (while my child was at the park, even waiting in traffic). I had these that are available at most campus bookstores, Sams Club, and online. https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10485374921470880957?q=anatomy%20flash%20cards&hl=en&sqi=2&bav=on.2,or.&bvm=bv.45512109,d.b2I&biw=1280&bih=822&wrapid=tlif136664747625110&sa=X&ei=YWJ1UYadDKrk2wW8zIHICQ&ved=0CHgQ8wIwBA

Make your own flash cards for the physio info. Go off the powerpoints, since that's what the teacher wants to hightlight and just use the book for reference. Good luck.

[16mm]

yeah I'm super nervous about this 5 week class, but it's actually the same number of classes as in the regular semester. Instead of one lecture and one lab per week I have 4 of each every week. It would be nice if my teacher skipped the chemistry, but I doubt it!

[Trenata]

I have DEFINITELY NOT procrastinated in any way!!! However, I wasn't able to study for 2 days when my son was home sick from school - 2 days is a big deal!

Yes, 30 hours is about it if not slightly more! I may pick up flashcards. Although, I haven't found anything that really does the trick for me yet - coloring is NOT my thing. I just color the PP slides with the muscles which I know I have to know. Writing out stuff is not my thing either. I go to a cool site to quiz myself and sit on my butt all day reading/memorizing (which I really hate sitting on my butt all day)! I am making an A, but it is hard work!! I am not sure I am going to be able to maintain this A after the next 4 chapters.

[16mm]

you can do it!!

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

Find out if your text has an online study aide. I took AP I and am currently taking AP II online and by reading the chapters and doing the online quizzes have discovered that my instructor is using a test bank for the tests. After figuring this out it became even more critical that I read the chapters, since many of the questions are not covered in the power point slides.