I am in A&P 2 and have the worst teacher I have ever had in my life, and I have had some bad ones. She not only grades hard, but she asks open ended questions on exams that can be answered in different ways. You never know what she is looking to get in the way of an answer, so anything can be right/wrong depending on what she wanted you to write (but not giving us any idea what that is).
At any rate, I just took my heart and blood vessel test and got a few points marked off when I answered the essay question about FETAL circulation. I knew a lot about it and thought it was a slam dunk of an answer, but I didn't get full credit on it. Apparently even though I knew everything (and than some) that I needed to know she took points off because I did not mention the blood flow from the umbilical chord. First off, if I know that only 3 chambers of the heart work in a fetus (and how it works differently than an adult) I think it should be safe to assume I would know something that the other 99 percent of the people know. But lets even say that I should not have assumed. The question was about FETAL circulation. The chord is outside of the fetus, I should not be graded on it IMO. I am not sure where the line is drawn between mother and fetus, but between my excellent understanding of the fetus's circulatory system, and the fact the question did not specify outside the fetus I don't think I should have lost anything. Heck, why stop at the chord? The rest of the mother has an effect on a fetus's development.
I did not do badly on the test, I just did not do as well as I would have liked to (I got an 88). Out of a class of 28 I did 5th best (about 25 percent of the class fail her tests so far). I am right at that B plus mark bordering on an A and I want that A! The way things are shaping up I will probably borderline at the end of the semester between an A and a B+. Do you think it is worthwhile for me to confront her on this and risk her grading me harsher in the future?
Let's put it this way: When you were a child, you were taught as a child. Everything was spelled out for you from point A to point D, because you did not have the capability for critical thinking.
Now you are an adult, and most professors do not feel a need to hold your hand. As an adult learner, you are pretty much on your own, and expected to research a subject yourself, after the instructor gives you a bare bones start.
Sorry, but this sounds like an instructor who definitely feels that the students are responsible for using their brains.
If you do approach her about this, I recommend you take the chip off your shoulder and drop the self righteous attitude. I don't mean you should grovel, but she IS the instructor, and it's pretty much her game, her rules. As much as this might gall you, being respectful and asking instead of demanding might get you farther.
Addressing your original question: no, I don't think it's worthwhile in this particular case. But as one of the PPs said, asking her what kinds of things she looks for in those open-ended questions would be a way to do better next time
If you write down a bunch of stuff that is above and beyond the information required, but forget to add one of the things that your professor is looking for, I agree that you should not receive full credit. Just take it in stride, use this as a learning exercise for future exams with your professor.
If it bothers you, definitely speak with your professor.
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I can't imagine any exam in a nursing school course, after pre-reqs, asking many, if any "Which is the best med for ----.". Exam questions are much more complicated usually.
Your nursing courses are probably going to be stressful for you since this situation is so stressful. Please cut yourself a break and get past it! Feeling you must get all A's is something you might want to reconsider. I understand the personal goal of it, but is school your life? Breathe deeply and go on...
I do not agree that something outside of the body is part of the circulatory system. You could argue the mother's entire body is part of the circulatory system and be correct.
If you do not agree, then your understanding is incorrect. This is part of what makes fetal circulation unique.
The line between fetus and mom is drawn between chorion and amnion. Everything inside the baby's amniotic sac belongs to the baby and IS part of the baby. This division is not arbitrary, and should be part of your description of fetal circulation. The umbilical cord, being on baby's side, is equally as crucial as the chambers of the heart, and their changes.
You might even go further and discuss the exchange between the mother and baby across that line that divides mom and fetus. It is noteworthy that in intact circulation, mom and baby do not exchange blood. If you've discussed components of blood yet, noting why that is important to know is something she might have hoped to see as well.
Another question she had that I did get credit for (remember 3 or so sentences) is the function of elastin in the arteries... Really, what part of that do you want answered in 3 sentences? I just happened to guess what she wanted written because she gives ZERO indication as to what she is looking for.
This is also not ambiguous. Describe the function of elastin in arteries.
To start, and I should have probably should have stressed this. In none of the reading that was assigned, the online things she put in, nor her lectures is what you are saying mentioned (where the fetus and mother start/end). I was not given the information, nor was it said it was something that I had to independently find out on my own. I also did not explain what the valves do in a fetal heart as compared to a normal heart. I didn't mention the difference in fetal blood and adult blood, or the placenta. Again not marked down on that, but she could mark me down if she wanted to. I would also like to see exactly how all of this fits into 3 or 4 sentences when the question is 'explain fetal circulation'.
Please go back to your text book, and truly read it. I KNOW the line between baby and mother is in there.
The question was vague - PERIOD. I was not given the information nor told that I needed to know this - PERIOD.
Again, not vague.
And as far as my Profs teaching creds... Well you still don't know what you are talking about. Since I have been in her class she has been 'evaluated' 4 times in 1/2 of a semester in just my class.
This is standard when professors are up for review. Multiple evaluations, often in classroom.
A 1/3 of her students are getting a D or are failing (I have a B plus atm). She also prides herself (she told us this on the first day) that 1/3 of the students who take her class (and pass) have to retake the class because they did not get the grade they wanted.
This is stated up front in a lot of a&p classes because it is true. My own a&p 1 class had half gone by midterm, and many more by finals. For many students, a&p is their first introduction to such a huge topic, so deeply detailed, coming at you so quickly. No, most people don't make it. It's not just her class. It's a bit universal.
My assumption given that none of this information was provided to me, nor was it told to me that I needed to know that a bunch of tissue that was OUTSIDE OF THE FETUS, and is not part of the fetus's internal anatomy is not a stretch, esp. given the fact that I have 3 or 4 sentences to get key points in such as the fetal heart being much different than the adult heart.
I have a history degree. Can you tell me the name of the battle that was fought in July 1943 on the German eastern front w/o googling it? Probably not, but even if you do happen to know the answer to that question w/o looking it up no one told you you would need to know that (nor is it in anything you have read to prepare for a test). How in the heck can it be fair game to put on a test?
If you are on your way to a degree in any medically-oriented program, including nursing, you need to understand something now, and keep it with you: EVERYTHING will be on the exam. EVERYTHING. There will no longer be any more streamlining of info into study guides by professors. You're on your own now.
You have a very snide way of answering a question. I put in my previous posts why I have an issue with the way she chose to phrase her questions. Instead of answering it and being helpful you chose to use your responses to be insulting. Don't lecture me "my opinion does not trump"... blah blah blah. I WAS NOT TOLD I WAS REQUIRED TO KNOW THIS, NOR WAS I GIVEN THE MATERIAL THAT HAD THAT BIT OF INFORMATION IN IT.
The problem here was semantics. You stated an opinion by your wording, but facts indicate otherwise. That's the point that poster was making. To a nurse's ears, it's akin to saying, "I don't believe 1+2=3." Believe it if you'd like, but you'll not be right.
Unfortunately my phone has cut off the bottom of this below what I'm actually typing here. So if there is jibberish below this, disregard. I stand by my point that there was no vagueness. And you'll soon be getting "pick the most right answer" questions, where all possibilities are, in fact, correct. The point of this is to get your thinking beyond concrete, and into abstract thinking. This part of school is frustrating, I know. I'm sorry to say it is only getting worse from here.
The anatomy and physiology of the umbilical cord is extremely important regarding fetal circulation. Abnormalities can cause problems with fetal development and therefore the standard for prenatal care changes.
During my pregnancy I changed doctors after my 5th month. My new doctor was reviewing the record and the ultrasound report failed to mention the anatomy of the umbilical cord (specifically the number of arteries/veins). Since having only one artery is associated with possible complications she had to order (and my insurance company and I got to pay for) a repeat ultrasound to determine what the actual anatomy was.
I find it hard to believe that information about the umbilical cord was not discussed in the text. You will definitely need to know about it once you get to the OB portion of your nursing program so I would just accept the grade and review the information so you know it in the future. As others have stated, your nursing exams will not have clear cut answers.
My first class of A&P began "Welcome to the most failed class at this university."
It is a hard course and will be more so if you do not have a biological science background. Sounds like your prof is really evaluating what you know about your topic. I had some courses where they expected you to write every little thing about something and later you got marked down for using "the shotgun approach". My BS is biochem and this testing style sounds typical of my profs in those fields.
As far as the question goes; I'd like to see a fetus survive without an umbilical cord. Since we are talking circulation, the blood does not technically circulate within the fetus. It comes from the umbilical cord and leaves via the same.
Later, in nursing courses you will be given exams where you are looking at 4 correct answers and must choose the most correct. My advice is to suck it up and ask your prof what she is looking for. It always helped me to keep open communication with them.
ETA: Unless you are specifically told to disregard something, if it was in the chapter/unit you just studied, you are expected and required to know it.
There are a couple of lessons that can be learned here, OP, that will help you in your future endeavors.
1) If you didn't document it, you didn't do it. Takings others' assumptions for granted would get you in trouble as a nurse pretty quickly.
2) Stay humble and open. Kind, sweet individuals on this forum have pointed out that the umbilical cord (a cord, not a combination of musical notes) is part of the fetus, and you came back with stubbornness and animosity. I was already wary of how this post started out, but your reaction to being helped is astounding to me. If you persevere, there will be many things you're taught which might not make sense initially, and you'll have a fork in the road. You will either open yourself up, think about them, and come to accept these facts, because you'll realize that they make sense logically, or you'll deny them, develop anxiety, miss questions, and in the end, not grasp the concepts at all. Seek clarity, not self-indulgence.
3) Nursing isn't about low-level knowledge. If you get a lot of low-level questions on boards, that means you're probably going to wind up failing them. By low level, I mean the sorts of questions you seem to want your A&P prof to ask. It's a hard road learning to answer high level questions, and it's best to tackle it now, because it only gets worse from here.
Psychcns
2 Articles; 859 Posts
Cooperate! Graduate!!