Short semester A&P, kicking myself in the tush!!

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hello all!

Because taking a summer semester of A&P I will help me save a year getting into the program, I decided to be gung-ho so that I could take II in the fall. I'm already regretting my decision, but trying to give myself the positive encouragement that I can do well in the class. My professor is about 80 years old, and absolutely insane. He gave us two tests on our first day of class!! Because it is a short semester class, we have lecture and lab monday and wednesday. Lecture is from 8:30 am to 11:25, and lab is from 12pm to 3pm. I work everyday that I'm not in class. To make a long story short, the first thing my professor said to us is, "When people take this class, I tell them 'if you're married, get a divorce. If you have children, sell them to a circus. If you have a job, quit. Because your whole life will be devoted to this class, or you will fail.' " Lovely! Just looking for a little bit of encouragement, because I'm trying to tell myself, "Can I do this? Yes I can!!"

:-) Thanks :lol2:

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Don't worry, you will do fine! Most instructors try and scare you, and it works, there will be several students who will drop by the drop date. Nursing is such a competitive field and the AP instructors know that, they are just trying to weed out the week.

Stay motivated and work hard, if you want it you will succeed

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Thanks! :-) I'm not going to drop this class, for sure. It's just daunting because it's so fast paced.

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Hey,

I JUST finished with my A&P I (summer session) and I am currently in A&P II for summer session 2. It's a six week program and I absolutely LOVED it. I study everyday after class for about 2-4 hours, depending. Anyway, my advice, stick with it you'll be fine. The the previous person said teachers say that to scare the crap out of you and I agree. A&P is like a story and you have to be able to read and comprehend the story to REALLY get through the class.

What's your program like, is it six weeks long?

-Dib

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My class is 6 and 1/2 weeks long. My thing is trying to figure out how to study. It seems like quite a bit to retain in the short amount of time that I have. I am fully committed to this class, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to study. Any tips?

-Rachel

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Specializes in Med/ Surg/ Telemetry, Public Health.

When I took Mico my teacher said oh by the way you all are C students, very rare I give out B's or A"s and then he said because this is a summer class you all should just drop this class because it is too demanding for you all. I was like WTH he had no kind words of encouragement. He was a aweful teacher he rushed through the material and got frustrated if we couldn't answer questions in seconds. I guess there are teachers out there that like to intimidate students not motivate or help.

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I record the professor, make sure I stay in lab to study the material and look over the anatomy sections because our professors want us to know the anatomy on our own time. Anyway, I take notes (obviously), record, go home and copy the notes in a separate notebook. After I copy them I look over those notes briefly. When the test comes around (every Thursday) I take my notes and practice test and write notes cards. This allows me to study and have study material to go over. I make sure I look back at question I tripped up on worksheets etc..

I suggest getting Netter A&P Flash Cards. Also if you want other resources this is the SMALL book I use for A&P.. It's my bible for the course and I'm sure it can be of use to you. I pasted the link below, it's 7 bucks and it'll be worth it to you.

http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Physiology-Essentials-Jay-Templin/dp/0878919228/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310089870&sr=8-1

GOOD LUCK!

Show up to every class, put the work in and you'll be fine! :yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

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You will do fine! I completed my A&P I last month,and it was an 8 week session. My instructor had us reading two chapters per week,along with hw and lab and bi weekly exams. It was a lot of studying and rereading in order for me to understand the concepts. Definitely use flashcards and set enough time to get your work done. It may seem overwhelming at 1st because its sooo much information. Just make sure to set up a schedule for reading,then homework so you can have a system going. Good Luck in your class and if u need any help,let me know cause I have a few links I use ...

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You will do fine! It seems daunting but you will get through it. I originally took A&P1 as a minimester so it was only 2 weeks long! I worked full time while taking the class but I somehow ended up with an A.

Just make sure you find Your best way of studying :)

good luck!

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My class is 6 and 1/2 weeks long. My thing is trying to figure out how to study. It seems like quite a bit to retain in the short amount of time that I have. I am fully committed to this class, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to study. Any tips?

-Rachel

What kind of learner are you? Myself, I am a visual-kinesthetic learner. If you are a visual learner, you may try looking up some videos on youtube or online to help explain some concepts. Flash cards are also very good. I try to take full advantage of the internet! Its my best study buddy :)

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

I took A&P 1 last summer, or should I say, A&P took me, LOL! I didn't make it through that class, but learned a lot about how to study. I had been getting all A's and B's prior to this, so it was a shock how difficult my class was. Below are some lessons I learned and posted on my prenursing blog. These tips helped me to get an A in Micro. I'll apply them to A&P next semester when I retake it.

1. Read ahead.

2. Schedule time to study daily.

3. Schedule time to do everything related to class work. Based upon my summer school A&P, this means time to read the text, time to read lecture notes (that either you or the teacher wrote), time to complete labs, time to review labs for accuracy, time to do homework assignments, time to make flash cards/review materials, time to go over these things and test yourself multiple times.

4. Find a few reliable study buddies. They don’t have to be super smart, but must be dedicated.

5. Go to class daily – duh!

6. If the teacher has poor reviews on ratemyprofessor.com carefully develop a strategy to succeed early in the class,

7. Carefully consider the personality traits of the professor i

8. Getting to school early allows for some devoted study time,

9. Use google while you learn and study

10. Seek out more help / resources EARLY on, in my case other nurses, people who are friends of family members or distant relatives in nursing school, online help from forums, blogs.

11. If your teacher can’t teach, (as my A&P teacher couldn’t) formulate a plan to teach yourself

12. Be prepared to sleep less hours each night

13. Take time to do things that make you happy and balanced.

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You can totally do it!! If I can take a condensed A&P class and get an 'A', I know anyone can do it. I work full-time too and I can be so lazy, but I stayed focused.

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