Week 1 and already drowing

conjer · Aug 25, 2017

First, take a deep breath. You can do this.

Do you use a planner? How have you been allocating your time? Focus on time management.

Break it down into smaller tasks. Study little by little everyday. For me, the only thing that helps me feel less stressed is being prepared.

Develop a plan of action to tackle this material and then carry it out.

VictoriaxB · Aug 25, 2017

First, take a deep breath. You can do this.
Do you use a planner? How have you been allocating your time? Focus on time management.
Break it down into smaller tasks. Study little by little everyday. For me, the only thing that helps me feel less stressed is being prepared.
Develop a plan of action to tackle this material and then carry it out.

Yes, I have planner. I carry it with me religiously! And I probably do need to manage my time better. I've been trying to split my time up evenly among my classed (A&P and Statistics are on campus while English and Psychology is online), but it seems like A&P may need more of my time because that's the one I'm struggling with the most.

For example, we're supposed to know the actual terms for body parts (like brachial being the upper arm, antebrachial being the forearm) and then we labeled a bunch of organs and such in our lab book. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being a complete spaz simply because this class is almost like learning a foreign language and it's easy to become overwhelmed when learning something new. I'll study my lecture and lab notes over the weekend and try to figure out how to break this down into manageable sections. I've heard that it's easy to get behind because the class moves pretty quickly and it's a lot of information. And since I'm striving for an A, the perfectionist is me is ringing all the alarms.

conjer · Aug 25, 2017

Yes, I have planner. I carry it with me religiously! And I probably do need to manage my time better. I've been trying to split my time up evenly among my classed (A&P and Statistics are on campus while English and Psychology is online), but it seems like A&P may need more of my time because that's the one I'm struggling with the most.
For example, we're supposed to know the actual terms for body parts (like brachial being the upper arm, antebrachial being the forearm) and then we labeled a bunch of organs and such in our lab book. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being a complete spaz simply because this class is almost like learning a foreign language and it's easy to become overwhelmed when learning something new. I'll study my lecture and lab notes over the weekend and try to figure out how to break this down into manageable sections. I've heard that it's easy to get behind because the class moves pretty quickly and it's a lot of information. And since I'm striving for an A, the perfectionist is me is ringing all the alarms.

Have you made flash cards? Try making them with pictures on them, then practice them multiple times a day. This helps me because i'm a visual learner. Expose yourself to the material more and in different ways and it'll stick.

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Aug 25, 2017

Yes, I have planner. I carry it with me religiously! And I probably do need to manage my time better. I've been trying to split my time up evenly among my classed (A&P and Statistics are on campus while English and Psychology is online), but it seems like A&P may need more of my time because that's the one I'm struggling with the most.
For example, we're supposed to know the actual terms for body parts (like brachial being the upper arm, antebrachial being the forearm) and then we labeled a bunch of organs and such in our lab book. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being a complete spaz simply because this class is almost like learning a foreign language and it's easy to become overwhelmed when learning something new. I'll study my lecture and lab notes over the weekend and try to figure out how to break this down into manageable sections. I've heard that it's easy to get behind because the class moves pretty quickly and it's a lot of information. And since I'm striving for an A, the perfectionist is me is ringing all the alarms.

You will absolutely need to spend more time on A&P than your other classes. It's a lot of information.

I think most students feel overwhelmed at the beginning of A&P I - it's a whole new world, and a different way of learning (IMO).

I agree with making flash cards. It'll help a bunch. You can make physical ones, or you can use Quizlet which has an app you can use on your phone. Just spend a bit of time each day reviewing the bits you need to know for that week.

You'll get there. Best of luck to you.

VictoriaxB · Aug 25, 2017

You will absolutely need to spend more time on A&P than your other classes. It's a lot of information.
I think most students feel overwhelmed at the beginning of A&P I - it's a whole new world, and a different way of learning (IMO).
I agree with making flash cards. It'll help a bunch. You can make physical ones, or you can use Quizlet which has an app you can use on your phone. Just spend a bit of time each day reviewing the bits you need to know for that week.
You'll get there. Best of luck to you.

I actually JUST downloaded quizlet! One of my classmates just texted me about it and said that's what she was using to study all of our vocabulary, so I'm going to make flash cards and study from there. I think I just need to get back in the groove of being in school. And thanks for the motivation! I probably tend to be much harder on myself than I should. I'm sure I'll eventually figure all of this out!

Kareegasee · Aug 25, 2017

Alright, listen up. First of all, no one can say what the "hard part" is. She could be talking from the experience of seeing students struggle with it, or she could just be referring to the amount of things you'll have to learn, but we all know that's no different from any other body system. So don't get worked up about that and start dreading the rest of the semester. Secondly, anatomy just sucks in general. Nobody is going to ace the course and if they do, they are truly just a rare and strange type of genius. The thing about anatomy that makes it so difficult, in case you have been trying to figure out what is going on with yourself because you normally are fairly smart yet feel so lost all of the sudden, is that it is 100% memorization. It's completely unlike any other nursing course, especially physiology, because there are no concepts that you can learn to understand in order to help you remember it, its just a matter of plain and simple memorization of 1000+ stupid little pieces of information about the human body. My advice to you is just to stay organized and find something to help you remember what you are learning. Maybe do each body system in a different color text in your computer notes so when you are reviewing, you associate certain bones, muscles, etc. with a color that might jog your memory in a test and help you at least remember which part of the body it comes from. Also, there are awesome coloring books you can buy that are made to help you study. Don't get discouraged in week 1! You won't survive it if you do.

karmachameleon, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2017

I hope this can be some sort of encouragement: I started all of my nursing pre-reqs back in January. I remember the first week of A&P I was having an absolute mental breakdown. I was asking how on earth I would ever learn all of this material and how I would ever have enough time to study. I was so stressed I was even telling my boyfriend "I can't do this, I'm going to change my major!" I finally got into the groove of things as I learned the routine of the class and what the homework, tests, and quizzes were like. Fast forward to today, I'm done with all the pre-reqs and got a 4.0, aced the HESI A2 nursing admissions exam, and currently waiting on my acceptance letter. You've got this, tell yourself you can do it and I promise that makes a world of difference!

VictoriaxB · Aug 25, 2017

Alright, listen up. First of all, no one can say what the "hard part" is. She could be talking from the experience of seeing students struggle with it, or she could just be referring to the amount of things you'll have to learn, but we all know that's no different from any other body system. So don't get worked up about that and start dreading the rest of the semester. Secondly, anatomy just sucks in general. Nobody is going to ace the course and if they do, they are truly just a rare and strange type of genius. The thing about anatomy that makes it so difficult, in case you have been trying to figure out what is going on with yourself because you normally are fairly smart yet feel so lost all of the sudden, is that it is 100% memorization. It's completely unlike any other nursing course, especially physiology, because there are no concepts that you can learn to understand in order to help you remember it, its just a matter of plain and simple memorization of 1000+ stupid little pieces of information about the human body. My advice to you is just to stay organized and find something to help you remember what you are learning. Maybe do each body system in a different color text in your computer notes so when you are reviewing, you associate certain bones, muscles, etc. with a color that might jog your memory in a test and help you at least remember which part of the body it comes from. Also, there are awesome coloring books you can buy that are made to help you study. Don't get discouraged in week 1! You won't survive it if you do.

I've been so confused because I've heard people say that I should be "learning" the material and not just memorizing it. But if it's all just memorization, I'll just do that then. Seems a whole lot easier that way since it's just a bunch of terms!

And yeah, I'm probably just overreacting right now and not really giving myself a chance to really get it. I'll suck it, make a new study plan for today and going forward and start memorizing!

VictoriaxB · Aug 25, 2017

I hope this can be some sort of encouragement: I started all of my nursing pre-reqs back in January. I remember the first week of A&P I was having an absolute mental breakdown. I was asking how on earth I would ever learn all of this material and how I would ever have enough time to study. I was so stressed I was even telling my boyfriend "I can't do this, I'm going to change my major!" I finally got into the groove of things as I learned the routine of the class and what the homework, tests, and quizzes were like. Fast forward to today, I'm done with all the pre-reqs and got a 4.0, aced the HESI A2 nursing admissions exam, and currently waiting on my acceptance letter. You've got this, tell yourself you can do it and I promise that makes a world of difference!

Oh my goodness, this is exactly how I feel right now! I remember on Wednesday after class, I was already thinking, "am I even smart enough to be a nurse? I'm already overwhelmed in the first week!" But you're right. I think I just need to get in a groove. It's been 9 years since I've been in school and I'm probably being a little hard on myself after being out of the loop for so long. I think I just need to adjust my study habits a bit and take it a step at a time. Since the nursing program at my community college is super competitive, I wanted to try to get an A in this class (as well as my others), so the perfectionist in me is becoming frustrated that the material is a lot to process. I think I just need to get a grip on myself haha.

Gangsteroids · Aug 25, 2017

My easy memorization tip: If you have a blank practice form for labeling anatomical terms, copy it or put it in a page protector and write with a dry erase marker and practice the crap out of it this weekend. I would do it 10-15 times so you know you really have the terms down. I personally never found flashcards helpful for AP but I am a visual and kinetic learner so the "muscle memory" of filling in blank practice sheets was useful for me. You can also look up blank practice forms online if you didn't receive anything like this. Try it a couple times and see if you think it will be helpful to you!

Also, to keep yourself from being overwhelmed, after every class take half an hour to review what needs to be learned by next week, the week after, and for your next test. Make a study plan! Then take your class / book notes and compile them (hopefully you're using loose leaf, it's the easiest for this) into study packets. (Notes relevant to one topic or chapter section in each packet, no more than ten pages of notes) Take a packet with you and review as you're able to- between classes, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, etc. Even five minutes of review can be helpful.

I also find it helpful to write my own practice tests / quizzes from these packets - two rounds of review there, one as you write it and one as you take it - before every exam. Every little bit counts! This should be your focus class this semester, and you'll probably need to dedicate between 12-20 hours each week if you have no background in medical terminology. Depends on how quickly you pick things up! When I got to microbiology and AP II I found it best to spend about 2 hours each week making and taking practice tests and quizzes. Got at least a 90 on each test so I must have been doing something right for my brain!

Wiggly Litchi · Aug 25, 2017

I've been so confused because I've heard people say that I should be "learning" the material and not just memorizing it. But if it's all just memorization, I'll just do that then. Seems a whole lot easier that way since it's just a bunch of terms!
And yeah, I'm probably just overreacting right now and not really giving myself a chance to really get it. I'll suck it, make a new study plan for today and going forward and start memorizing!

In a way they're both right - A&P 1 is a LOT of memorization (where certain bones, muscles, joints etc are located) but it's also a lot of learning, too... Especially when it comes down to the physiology side of things. Learning now will save you headaches later, and it'll really make subsequent lectures easier.

You might feel swamped now, I know I do when it's crunch time... so I read articles like this: The Human Brain's Memory Could Store the Entire Internet to remind me that there is definitely room in my noggin' for this.

The key is repetition - don't expect to know it all in one day, and try not to feel disheartened when you do get a question wrong. Just keep at it - the human brain is an amazing thing, and soon you'll find that you are coming to the end of the semester with an A.