~!~ ...SERIOUSLY ...~!~

caliotter3 · May 21, 2009

Nothing "just comes to you" in nursing school. Prepare yourself to work hard in anatomy and physiology.

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · May 21, 2009

Those courses are building blocks to help you understand concepts you will need in nursing school and in your career.

cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP · May 21, 2009

Everything you learn in nursing school will be used (in one form or another) during your practice (yes, even nursing diagnoses.) Anatomy and Physiology are crucial for Nursing, trust me! Good luck.

!Chris :specs:

matilda123 · May 21, 2009

A & P is just the tip of the iceburg! You use every bit of it you can absorb, and that is nothing compared to what you need to know, even for semester 1 of nursing school!

Bicster · May 21, 2009

:uhoh3:I am curious to know like HOW much of Anatomy & Physiology does a NURSE need to know

you should and need to know as much as possible.

%63theend · May 21, 2009

I am surprised to read these responses because I've heard a lot of nurses say they never used 99% of A&P again after the courses were over. Maybe it depends on the school. I know our school was very heavy into the chemistry of the cell in A&P 1. We did a ton of work with how cells maintain the higher sodium outside of the cell and potassium inside the cell using the sodium potassium pump and then how the cell depolarizes allowing sodium influx, etc and so on during action potentials, etc. I'd be shocked if I ever used this in a real life nursing situation. But I'd be glad I used it since I learned if it came up LOL!!

medsurgtrenchesRN · May 21, 2009

I know our school was very heavy into the chemistry of the cell in A&P 1. We did a ton of work with how cells maintain the higher sodium outside of the cell and potassium inside the cell using the sodium potassium pump and then how the cell depolarizes allowing sodium influx, etc and so on during action potentials, etc. I'd be shocked if I ever used this in a real life nursing situation. But I'd be glad I used it since I learned if it came up LOL!!

You know, I have been shocked how much the physiology stuff like this does come back up. It was a big part of microbiology for us, and I have seen questions about it on both the NET and the HESI. It is good to make that info part of you. I have no idea how much of it we will see once we are in nursing school. I know that that action potential thing is huge for the nervous system, and it probably helps you understand some neural diseases and what processes they affect on a cellular level. I'm very interested to see if we learn more in nutrition this summer. I would love to have a better breakdown of the digestive system. I know that so much of this A&P information has given me a medical vocabulary that I never would have had otherwise.

SiennaGreen · May 21, 2009

I agree with most. I just finished first semester NS and I think the A&P was KEY! Some of the students took it years ago and they really struggled. You just need to understand where things are and how they work (especially how the systems all work together and affect eachother). It's true. You're gonna use it.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 24, 2009

How can you be a nurse and NOT know about the body and how it functions??? You have to know how a healthy body functions do understand the process and actions and reactions in healing and sickness.

NIGHTWOLF87 · May 24, 2009

a & p is the foundation that you will build upon when you get into more advanced classes, such as pathophysiology. without a good understanding of how a well body functions, you will, in my opinion, be lost when trying to understand how a disease process affects the body. it's good to know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a particular diease process, but it is crucial to know why the body is reacting the way that it is.

Bellarubia18 · May 24, 2009

I am surprised to read these responses because I've heard a lot of nurses say they never used 99% of A&P again after the courses were over. Maybe it depends on the school. I know our school was very heavy into the chemistry of the cell in A&P 1. We did a ton of work with how cells maintain the higher sodium outside of the cell and potassium inside the cell using the sodium potassium pump and then how the cell depolarizes allowing sodium influx, etc and so on during action potentials, etc. I'd be shocked if I ever used this in a real life nursing situation. But I'd be glad I used it since I learned if it came up LOL!!

PLEASE PLEASE know your A&P!!!! that is the heart and soul of nursing! Understanding it sets the stage for everything else to come(drugs, pathophys, treatments, etc.). Knowing that sodium is greatest outside the cell(in the ECF) and potassium greatest inside is absolute essential information that guides the treatment of cardiac conduction disorders, fluids and electrolyte disturbances, etc., which are major nursing responsibilities. The more you understand the better for your practice AND your piece of mind, because orders won't be such a mystery to you. That's not to say you HAVE to know every little fact. My suggestion is to review A&P the summer before you begin nursing classes. (Not fun, but so worth it). Sorry for the long post, I just wish someone had told me this before I started nursing school!