Best way to memorize for A&P

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I'm going to take advantage of my summer off school and get a head start on memorizing body parts for A&P in the fall. I'm in my 30's and my brain does not memorize as quickly as it used to. ;)

What is the best way to memorize mundane facts like the names of bodily structures? I have the Barron's A&P flashcards and am thinking of making several photo copies of them and using them as tests. I am also going to read The Idiot's Guide to A&P which I have on hold at the library.

Any other suggestions or tips?

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Repetition is the key to memorizing the body structures. Just make yourself a plan or a map of what to study and when. Only do it in small portions. Make copies of your text....white out the answers and then make multiple copies. Do them until you get them 100% without fail several times. Review review review!! Good Luck

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In my experience, it wasn't difficult to memorize body parts. Identifying them on models can be another matter, though.

If I were doing it again, I'd get a copy of the text book the instructor uses (an old one is fine) and a copy of his or her syllabus if possible, then read the entire semester's curriculum. I think physiology is much more detailed than anatomy and takes more time to master.

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Association is my favorite method. I also liked to schedule my labs late in the afternoon to leave me a 2-3 hour long break before lab tests. I'd pick out the "parts" that I had the most trouble with, put them on an index card and literally study them right as I was going through the classroom door.

When I had time and was feeling creative, I'd even make mini "posters" of the material. I didn't study the posters, but just making them helped get them in my head.

Flash cards are great. I like to get the assorted colored index cards and use different colored markers for different cards. If something was at the tip of my mind, sometimes visualizing the green/pink/blue/yellow card helped and the answer came to me. I even drew little nonsense symbols on the cards sometimes to make the association stronger.

As for spelling, I learned it the old fashioned grade school way...I wrote the word over and over and over...and over....usually during other classes.;)

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

I use a lot of mnemonics (sp?). I also study the hell out of the atlas pictures--it does help when it comes to identifying things on models...though I never miss a lab either because as good as Netter's is, there is no substitute for seeing the models.

This semester, I bought a digital camera, and every week I'd photograph all the models. It was a big aid come practical time...and of course I hooked up any classmate that wanted a picture CD :D

I also take A&P a bit at a time--it really is a lot easier to learn if you go inch by inch through the semester than trying to learn it all in a couple of weeks.

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i am well into my 40's and sometimes think that the ear wax in my ears is really brain leakage!!! i also keep going to school and i always seem to be taking classes. so, i need some way to learn and remember what i am being taught. when i started as a nurse, one of the residents told me that they learn by the "watch, do it, teach it" method. they use this when learning skills, but i have adapted it for my learning process. basically i will listen closely in class; i sit in the front and "watch" the instructor so i pick up as much information as i can. then i will review the text books, the models or "do it" by going over each portion of the anatomy and physiology i am learning. then, and this is really the important part that i think makes it work for me is that i "teach" it to someone, or something -i have even taught my dog all about my last course. what i think is that once you know the material enough that you can "teach" it to someone, and then you really know it. let them ask questions, if you don't know the answer, don't panic, just look it up and explain what you found; don't read it to them, explain it. this way i believe that you're not just memorizing it and getting by you are learning and won't forget what you've learned. remember, that all aspects of medicine, including nursing, a&p is essential. if we don't know how the body is suppose to work when it is well then how can we begin to understand what happens when someone gets sick?

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hey

i am in A&PII right now and i take pics with my digital camera of the torso model - the lab practicals are based on the torso and also pics of the disections...I look at and study them every day and so far that has worked for me...i also buy the optional study guide books and CD's- they helped me ALOT

good luck

coco

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Hemodialysis.
hey

i am in A&PII right now and i take pics with my digital camera of the torso model - the lab practicals are based on the torso and also pics of the disections...I look at and study them every day and so far that has worked for me...i also buy the optional study guide books and CD's- they helped me ALOT

good luck

coco

Coco, that's exactly what I plan on doing for A&P I, that is if I can get into the stinking class. (That's another topic itself) My husband thought I was nuts when I mentioned it, but hey whatever works.

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Thanks for the great ideas! I'm going to try to get a syllabus from the teacher this week if they are willing to let me have one. The camera suggestion is brilliant!

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.

Are you going into A&P I? A&P I was a lot of straight up memorization. What really helped me with that were the coloring books. They have one for Anatomy which helped immensely in lab and one for Physiology which helped a lot in lecture. Another thing that my lab instructor had us do for A&P I is to draw or trace the pictures from our books and then label them. It worked really well along with the coloring books.

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Association. That will stick with you for a long time. It takes more than just memorization for something to stick with me. I usually associate things, and it makes for excellent recall. As a quick example, we just started the blood chapter this week, and there are 5 different white blood cell types, which are broken down into Granulocytes and Agranulocytes. For me to remember which ones are granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) I wrote: "Granulocytes are "philled" with granules."

Now I know that the granulocytes are the ones that end with 'phil'

Association is the best way I study. It can be done in virtually every area.

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Specializes in none.
hey

i am in A&PII right now and i take pics with my digital camera of the torso model - the lab practicals are based on the torso and also pics of the disections...I look at and study them every day and so far that has worked for me...i also buy the optional study guide books and CD's- they helped me ALOT

good luck

coco

That's a great idea, i thinki will be using that one...

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