Trying not to be a whiner.... but

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Just a quick question for other students. I am taking my pre-reqs and will be attending the fall nursing class. I have managed to keep a 3.86 GPA, which I work very hard for. Anywho, has anyone else had A & P with mass chapter practicals? What I mean is this, we just had a practical this week covering Integumentary, Both Axial and Appendecular skeleton, and All muscles. I was shocked because other classes at the college are getting these practicals one major system at a time? Needless to say, in the entire two classes taught by this Proff. only 5 people passed. Just curious if it's like this every where. and for info, I barely passed with a 60, which has brought my grade down to a 87. I'm thinking of writing a letter to the department head?

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Having them all at once seems like a lot for one lab practical.. but I think instructors have the right to arrange their tests any way they see fit.

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Seriously..?? Love you are not going to resolve any kind of problem with your letter to the dean or the head deparment. I personally think that you should get use to it, once you get to anatomy 2 things get worse. I have to study 3 systems for every practicum..plus 3 chapters for a 55 question test (in lecture) where our professor goes to the little details of the book.. ( he is a neonatal doctor back in cuba) so his teaching styles are very tough which i love about because he makes you study. so dont go to the head just study and make sure that you cover all the things that the professor wants you to study.

Good luck :)

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I don't think writing a letter to the department head is going to do anything...Teachers have the right to arrange tests how they see fit. Sorry, but I'd say just get used to it. At my school its the same way and many other schools I know of it's the same way. Lab practicals take a lot of time to set up, and in my A&P class if we had one lab practical for every system we'd have one almost every week. You just have to make sure you study hard. I just had a lab practical that included the cardiovascular system, respiratory, endocrine system, and we had to do blood tracings. Our written test was 180 questions long. When you get into nursing school you're going to be swamped too, so this is a good way to prepare you for it. You just have to be a lot of time and effort into your studying.

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welcome to the real world lol.. might as well get used to it.. and good luck. my a&p final was 250 questions, plus another fifty or so from the lab portion. it'll get you ready for nursing school that's for sure.

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In my Anatomy and Physiology, we only had 2 practicals, one at midterm and 1 for finals. Midterm covered everything from the beginning of the semester until midterm, and the final one covered everything from all semester, so everything from tissue samples to bones, muscles, etc.

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We had a total of 4 practicals per semester for Anatomy and Physiology. All of the practicals covered multiple chapters and our practicals were 100 questions fill in the blank or answer the question related to the structure. Honestly, I don't think there is any point of writing a letter to the department head. You are going to have to adjust your study habits for this class and be really prepared for the practicals. If possible, I would spend extra time in the lab learning structures and if you have a study group get together and try to teach each other the structures. When I studied with a friend if I could teach the material then I knew I had learned the material thoroughly. It seems tough right now, but once you get through the class it will be worth it. Good Luck!

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We also only have 2 lab practicals....the first one covers everything from the first half of the semester, the second one covers everything from the second half of the semester. It's rough. That's just the way it is. I wouldn't write a letter over it..

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At my school, I think it is kind of weird that lab exams are standardized across the various sections and teachers. I've never encountered anything like that. Since your school isn't standardized, I do agree that you need to adjust your learning style to the teachers teaching and testing style.

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For my A&P II class, we only had 3 practicals that covered a LOT of material (most of them covered multiple systems). Each practical had about 100 questions. Some stations had multiple questions (we were permitted one minute at each station regardless of how many questions were there). The class was ROUGH, and the exams were extremely challenging.

I had to take this class after completing multiple other A&P courses from previous degrees (thanks to very strict nursing pre-reqs, this particular class needs to be on my transcript :) ), so I know what to expect in most Anatomy and/or Physiology courses.

Yes, many people did get Bs in this class, but I can guarantee you that they know a heck of a lot more than many other students who recieved As in their A&P II course. Does it stink? ABSOLUTELY. Is it fair? NO. But that's just the way the cookie crumbled for a number of my peers.

What you are going through is unfortunately very common. I can totally relate. My first semester of college, I enrolled in calculus. I simply registered for the course that fit best in my schedule, not knowing that the professor was notoriously difficult. We started with 36+ students and only about 6 took the final. I spent almost every free moment I had that semester in the tutoring center, and got a C in the course. I am darn proud of that C because so many of my peers backed down from the challenge, and I know a number of people that would never even take that class with that professor. Does it stink to have that C on my transcript? Of course it does, but I learned a lot and worked hard to get that C.

My advice is to talk to your professor about your situation and ask if he/she has any suggestions for you. I'd also inquire about extra credit opportunities. You still have time to bump your grade up to an A. If you wind up with a B, don't stress out about it too much. Once you become an RN, no one is going to ask what grade you got in A&P or any other course for that matter. Do your best to understand the material and study your butt off.

Best of luck! You can do it!

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In my AP2 class, my teacher tests over anything and everything from anytime during AP1 or 2 (even things we have NOT covered, as long as it's related.) The material can come from the book's website, his website, the book, his class notes, and his class lecture. His questions may give credit for only the BEST answer, or may only give credit for ALL correct answers - and he never specifies which. He gives us 60 minutes for 100 questions. If you go over, you get a 5%. I have a 100 in the class (including an extra credit assignment). When you get into your profession, you won't be 'tested' on just one chapter at a time, and most times, there will be more than one correct answer. Having him as a teacher has made me think outside of the box, as well as on my toes. Each teacher has their own teaching style, and the hard ones are the good ones. I know I wouldn't want to slide my way through nursing school only to get in the real world and not know what the heck I'm doing. Thank your teacher for his challenge, and study harder for the next one. Writing a letter complaining will only make you look like you want them to make the class easier for your benefit.

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We only have 3 practicals to cover all the material in A&P I. A&P II same thing, and I think it's more difficult.

I've heard than this is a joke compared to nursing school with pharma, patho, etc., so I don't want to be harsh but "get used to it".

87 is alright, I'm sure you'll get your A with a bit more of hard work. :)

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