Preparing for A&P I

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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What is your best advice for preparing for A&P I?

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I would take a look at the course description and see what body systems will be covered.

From there, me being me, I'd probably hit Barnes and Noble and get an A&P for Dummies book and start reading the sections that will be covered in class to get a general/basic understanding of whats going on.

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Get all of the sleep and fun in while you can. Once you start A&P, if you want an A, most likely you'll be married to it.

I spent many night tossing and turning overmy lab exam grades. uGH.

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Most seem to have problems with the lab portion. Find out if you are doing any dissection. For example most colleges dissect a cat. A&P I is usually the muscles of the cat. You also have to know the human bones and muscles. You really need to see the syllabus to know exactly what to study. Otherwise you will spend so much time studying the things they won't ask of you. If you want to start studying early just study the major muscles of the human body and all the bones. For now just be able to identify what bone is what. The best bet is to look at your required textbook or buy an anatomy book online or at the bookstore. I would recommend Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy. I used it in both of my gross anatomy courses. I also like Gray's Anatomy. I usually use both manuals because you may find one has something the other doesn't. This may be overkill because your required text is usually sufficient. I have taught A&P in the past and know the only way to get an A is to spend a lot of time with the models/cat/eye etc. If you have to do dissection buy the dissection guide and read it. Try to learn the major muscles on the cat as well. It will be easy if you just pay attention to which way the fibers run. It's good you won't have to know tendons, ligaments, and nerves (and what they innervate). Much more work. Good Luck!

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oh, and you might want to get a jump on studying the 12 cranial nerves.

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Best advice would be to prepare yourself for studying. I'm a nursing student, and I basically worshiped my a&p book. I spent at least 4 hours ALONE on a&p homework a night. I got an A because all I did was go to class, go back to my dorm, and study until I went to sleep. I made it a PRIORITY.

Also, don't wait until the last few days to study! A lot of people in my class last semester failed the class because either 1- they didn't study, or 2- they studied the night before. Once my professor posted the review sheet online (and the exam was at least 2 weeks away, I was probably the first person to print it off. I would look at each topic, and re-write my notes (if my professor already covered it in lecture) to make them into my own review guide, and cross it off the list. If my professor didn't go over the topic in lecture yet, I would wait and re-write the notes I took the same day and include them into my own review sheet. THEN, after all the topics were covered, I would then go back and make note cards of EVERY vocabulary word. I would then wait until a week and a half to a week until the exam, and start going over my note cards, sometimes even re-writing my whole review sheet I had made, just so it is fresh in my memory. It helped me A LOT!

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And, some a&p books come with a year subscription to a website with diagram labeling, quizzes, and games. My lab book came with a CD that was called Practice Anatomy Lab (PAL) and they had lab practical-like tests for each system such as bones and muscles. The best part of it was that you can choose a human cadaver or a cat so it was more like a lab practical you'd have in class!

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Get your book early, and start reading. The first 3 chapters are usually a review, so make sure you have a good handle on them. Barron's Anatomy flashcards are good for muscles, bones, and the parts of the brain. Oh, and clear your schedule. Good luck, A&P is not easy, but it's the science of us, and it's fascinating.

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Best advice would be to prepare yourself for studying. I'm a nursing student, and I basically worshiped my a&p book. I spent at least 4 hours ALONE on a&p homework a night. I got an A because all I did was go to class, go back to my dorm, and study until I went to sleep. I made it a PRIORITY.

Also, don't wait until the last few days to study! A lot of people in my class last semester failed the class because either 1- they didn't study, or 2- they studied the night before. Once my professor posted the review sheet online (and the exam was at least 2 weeks away, I was probably the first person to print it off. I would look at each topic, and re-write my notes (if my professor already covered it in lecture) to make them into my own review guide, and cross it off the list. If my professor didn't go over the topic in lecture yet, I would wait and re-write the notes I took the same day and include them into my own review sheet. THEN, after all the topics were covered, I would then go back and make note cards of EVERY vocabulary word. I would then wait until a week and a half to a week until the exam, and start going over my note cards, sometimes even re-writing my whole review sheet I had made, just so it is fresh in my memory. It helped me A LOT!

Just like me, re-write re-write re-write! Earned a 97 in AP1 and have 4 weeks left with a 97 in AP2....very exhausting class. But, I work 40 hrs/week so it's do-able!

This isn't my school but I also found these lecture notes to be a huge help.

AP1: BSC 1085 Anatomy & Physiology I

AP2: Anatomy and Physiology II

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From having taken it a few years ago when I was in school. (Left to be home with kids and when they get older I will go back with one of my best friends!) Just study hard!! Listen to prof, study everything they give you and have a good study partner. Ask each other questions and take turns answering them. My best friend was my study partner and she made the class seem so eeasy!! I also liked the A&P I and II coloring books you can get at the bookstore in the medical section. They help with the bones and all the parts and placements and stuff like the Chondyles and epichondyles and such.

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I would start studying the things that don’t need to be explained but are just simple memorization. I would email my instructor and see if you can get a bone list and muscle list. And start studying them now. This way you will know what bone processes, and foramen you will be responsible for

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Subbing to this thread for some great information!

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