Should I take anatomy and physiology 1 and 2 consecutively ?

[zoieG]

Hi Everyone!

I have a question about the best way to take Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2. I'm taking 1 this semester and I am doing well with the pace (its an 8 week course). I like the professor I'm taking it with although he's not teaching a & p 2 until the fall. If I take microbio, and a & p 2 in over the next two semester's then I'll satisfy the rest of my prerecs and be able to apply to the MSN nursing program at UVA by the end of this year. I'm thinking about taking Microbiology in the summer semester and waiting until the fall semester to take the second a & p class for the other 8 week session.

A few reasons for this:

1) I'm paying out of state tuition and I will be able to pick up more hours (working as a PCT) in between the spring and summer semester, and again between the summer and fall semester if I take the other 8 week session a and p.

2) I'd be able to take a and p 2 with the prof I'm taking 1 with now who I like.

3) The PVCC only offers micro as a 16 week session in the fall. So that scenario I would only have a month off instead of 3 to work more.

My only real concern is whether or not its a bad idea to space out a & p like that or if they're so different that its ok if there is a lapse of time between them and you forget some stuff.

Any insight appreciated!

[Wiggly Litchi]

A&P is one of those subjects that you will ALWAYS be reviewing, even deep into your nursing career. Really it depends on you as to whether it'd negatively affect you taking them so far apart.

As long as you're actively reviewing and keeping the material somewhat fresh (you don't need to act like you're cramming for a test, but a quick gloss over the chapter summaries helps!) then I don't see the harm in taking A&P 2 a bit later on.

That being said, a lot of the info in A&P 1 does come up in A&P 2, so if you struggle with A&P 1 you might want to adjust your gameplan a bit - if you're doing well and are able to retain the information, then do what you feel is best

[MissMo15]

I think it helps to have 1&2 completed before entering Micro, because all three classes build on each other. For example, my micro instructor pretty much skipped the teaching of the Krebs cycle in detail, because it was covered in A&P. It was expected of us to already know the basics so that she could go into better detail with the new information that comes with micro. But, if you are already strong with bio then you shouldn't have a problem mixing it up. I would suggest talking to your advisor for the best advice since they should know how to direct you with the best academic plan. Good luck to you!