What is anatomy and physiology like?

[ramizlol]

Hello! I want to take A&P this winter but I keep hearing how hard it is and how difficult it is. I took A&P in high school, it is just plain memorization... How is it hard? what makes it so hard? How many words do you need to learn every week and so on. How does the class function!! please help! Thanks

[INN_777, BSN, RN]

If I were to sum up why it is intense, I would say it is the amount of material as well as a combination of theory and practice (you don't only have to know but also to recognize on slides/models/lab animals). For many, including myself, it was also the fact that all this material was new. If you took it no so long ago, that will take some edge off. But it is still intense, like all the 4-credit science classes in good schools only more so because the info is more diversified.

[emde]

A lot of information to read and to understand my friend! You won't have to "learn words." You will need to understand and remember processes and cycles. Everything is tied up. Your knowledge of the basic things (cell, atoms, tissues, chemical reactions) will help you to understand the hardest systems, like the exchange of gases in the lungs and the formation and filtration of urine in the kidneys and so forth. Pay attention from the very beginning. Don't just read, but try understand what you are reading, is my advice for you ( I got As on both A&P I and II)

[DadStudentPerhaps]

My experience with A&P was that each new paragraph built off the one before it. We started off at the cellular level and worked our way up through tissues, then into systems (skeletal, nervous, muscular, digestive, circulatory, urinary, etc). My best advice would be the following. First, don't psych yourself out before you even get started. Second, in my case, study every night... Even if it's only an hour or two. It's easier to digest in bite sizes instead of trying to cram at the last minute. Third, if your studying and are getting frustrated, take a break. I learned if I put it down for an hour or two, then resumed my work, I retained a lot more because I was no longer frustrated. Fourth, use free websites like Khan Academy to help you understand things better. Last thing, you can do it, just stay positive.

[DadStudentPerhaps]

I forgot to add, A&P lab was actually very interesting and fun. We had to learn the names of all the bones, processes on the bones, bones that make up the skull, hands, and feet, and all the muscles ( which was memorization ) but I enjoyed looking at tissue samples under the microscope. Also, the test were fun. Our instructor would place bones around the room at different stations and we would rotate from station to station and write down what we were looking at. In some case it might have been just a bone, like a femur... In other cases it might be a condyle on the bone, etc.. I was amazed at how many bones are in the skull.

[queserasera, RN]

There is little new information I can give you that the pp's haven't already touched on.

My personal experience was that while A&P was certainly a challenge, based on amount of material and the detail each topic was covered, but it was also one of my favorite courses. I have always enjoyed the sciences and I found I liked a&p so much since you know, I have a body. :) I found my best way to study was to put the concepts in my own words, not just regurgitating th textbook. The only memorization I did was in lab. Subjects like bones, muscles, etc.

Don't be too intimidated. Yes it is a lot of material. Be sure you have solid foundations in biology and chemistry, that will certainly help. Also think about how you've done in other science classes. An A in lower level sciences are a sure fire sign that you will be prepared for a&p and will most likely be able to handle the material. If you've not done great in previous science classes, it's fine, but do take an inventory of your skills. Where can you improve? Studying, test taking skills, memorization, tim management?

Read before class, don't fall behind, actively participate in class. If you feel overwhelmed talk to your instructor about how you can improve your approach and get a tutor if nessecary.

Great luck to you!

[knnyz]

It helps to have basic understanding of biology and chemistry. Don't miss class or else you will really fall behind, as the course is structured perfectly for you to understand the human body. I remember you start off learning a bit of chemistry, then differentiating the four types of tissue, integument system, bones, joints, muscle, nervous etc etc. It depends, A&P is a lot even for a semester, let alone winter session. Don't underestimate it!

[Idiosyncratic, BSN, RN]

Oh gosh, Anatomy and Physiology...it's not that the material is impossible to grasp, but it's extremely time consuming. For a while there, I got about 55 hours a week of studying. You cannot just memorize things and move on, but you need to actually retain and understand them. A lot of things in the body have crazy processes that take a lot of time to understand.

It really depends on your instructor as to how much you'll need to learn each week. If I could suggest anything to you, I would advise that you don't take it during a winter semester. Some people can handle it, but it will be difficult. Also, do not fall behind, do NOT fall behind, and I repeat DO NOT FALL BEHIND! Actually, stay ahead, staying ahead will help you. Writing flash cards as you learn it(if that's your learning mechanism) is good to do from the BEGINNING.

If you want something to make you feel more prepared, I would suggest looking into tissues, the skeletal system, muscular system - those are the things that I wish I would have done prior to AP. Oh gosh, it would have made life SO much easier! lol

[MyOwnBlueSky]

All replies here are filled with good advice so soak it in :) I am in AP1 now. A good professor is also key. Try talking to anyone who has taken them about the experience with the professors but don't take to heart any whiney students. Only those who took it seriously and really applied themselves. Rate my professor.com can be a good resource as well.

My professor goes above and beyond to teach you proper study skills at the very beginning and how to use tricks to make the info your own so that you not only memorize the material but can retain and comprehend since each section builds off of the previous.

Quality of studying and not quantity serves you best. Grasping concepts is vital so just memorizing for the test will not work most of the time. And do not ever procrastinate! Dedicate time everyday to that class and always do a little recall ASAP after the lecture to retain even more. This helps tremendously. Good luck.

[CDEWannaBe]

I loved A&P. There is a lot of information and you have to devote consistent study time into your schedule, but it's so interesting.

I was afraid to take Microbiology too, but it's really neat to understand illness better and all the bacteria, virus, etc. that cause them.

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Good day:

I started going for my prerequisites in June of this year after being out of school for approximately 25 years. I'm currently taking A&P 1 along with a number of other classes.

Lecture and lab requires a lot of memorization; if you are a why person who loves digging deep into how stuff works and why stuff works, then it isn't so bad. If you know the material extremely well, tests are ok; and, at least for our college, use a lot of critical thinking techniques where you have to pick the very best answer out of two to three best answers as well as understand when to use "all of the above."

Thank you.

[MrsStudentNurse]

My experience with A&P was that each new paragraph built off the one before it. We started off at the cellular level and worked our way up through tissues then into systems (skeletal, nervous, muscular, digestive, circulatory, urinary, etc). My best advice would be the following. First, don't psych yourself out before you even get started. Second, in my case, study every night... Even if it's only an hour or two. It's easier to digest in bite sizes instead of trying to cram at the last minute. Third, if your studying and are getting frustrated, take a break. I learned if I put it down for an hour or two, then resumed my work, I retained a lot more because I was no longer frustrated. Fourth, use free websites like Khan Academy to help you understand things better. Last thing, you can do it, just stay positive.[/quote']

Great advice.