What is so hard about A&P 1?

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I'm planning on taking A&P 1 next semester and I am wondering what makes it so difficult to pass? I already knew it was going to be challenging, but I've been thinking it was more along the lines of heavy memorization. However, reading this forum and especially hearing about how many students drop out of this class after the first couple of tests, I am getting really, really nervous. If anyone could enlighten me as to what seems to make this class so difficult to pass I would really appreciate it.

A&P 1 is not hard at all. Time consuming, but not hard. Lots of memorization. I found A&P II a bit more challenging, but I took it in the 6 week summer semester so that might have something to do with why I felt it was more challenging. But I still got an A for A&P II lecture, got a B for the lab though. Felt I could have pulled a double A like I did for A&P I if I took it in the regular semester and had more time to study. Just throw yourself into it and you will do well.

I think it seems hard, high drop out rate because people don't realize the commitment time it takes to study it. But if you commit to it and break it down a little bit at a time so you can absorb all the info, you should do fine. Its just a lot of info so you have to give yourself time to absorb it.

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Specializes in BSN Class of May 2013.

One thing that was helpful for me was going over Medical Terminology before and during A&PI. Knowing what the parts of the words mean really helps you understand. You can get Med Term flashcards. I printed this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_roots,_suffixes_and_prefixes

I took the "chart" with the different terminology and printed it 4 pages per sheet & kept it in the front of my folder for A&PI & II. It helped a lot. :)

You just have to study! This is prep for nursing school so get ready to read & re-read. Always pay attention in class, ask questions, and take notes that will make sense to you later. Flash cards helped me for memorization & the mneumonics and little tricks to remember words.

Your textbook will almost always have a companion website, too. I had study MP3s I could listen to (helped a lot for the sliding filament theory:)) and puzzles, matching, etc.

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I think it really does depend a lot on the instructor and how they structure their class. Some instructors are very straight forward, while others leave out pieces hoping you will take the initiative to fill in the gaps. If you are lucky you will be in a class where your learning style matches up with your instructor. I finished A&P 1 this summer and it was VERY time consuming. Other students might say it was "hard" because they had to put in so many hours. I triumphed with an "A" (yep, bragging just a little):D. I am currently in A&P 2 with a different instructor and there is a huge difference in teaching style and we are only 3 weeks into the semester.... I'm stressing a little but staying confident as should you :).

Good Luck!

I agree with this statement. Some teachers make A&PI harder than it needs to be. I have personally dropped A&PII twice because of lousy instructors so now Im taking it again with my instructor I had for A&PI. He teaches A&P to med students so he boils everything down in the chapters to what we REALLY need to know. So he doesnt use the book just his power point notes. It is still a lot of studying though.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

For me, it's hard because science doesn't come naturally to me. It's hard because the labs require almost pure memorization of cells, where they came from, the type, the organelles, etc. etc. and every bone in the body.. among other things and I'm not great a memorizing. I'd rather learn theory than try to do total recall of all these things. (Though I see why they are important). It's hard because I have a bit of ADD and have a hard time staying focused on one thing for extended periods of time.

Having said all that... I find this stuff fascinating. lol

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You know what Mjmoon, science does not come naturally to me either and I'm not sure that it does for most people. The class I disliked the most of all my pre-reqs was Chem. I still got a B, but I failed the first exam. Not only failed it, totally bombed it. It crushed my spirit and I wanted to quit. I thought to myself, you are in way over your head here. I had a pity party for myself for a couple of days and then decided I was not going to give up. I was going to find a way to learn this material. The way I was studying was not working and I was going to find one that did, and I did just that. Today, I got the news that I was accepted to my nursing program. To think, I almost gave up after that first miserable exam. My point is that I don't think it has to come naturally, if there is such a thing. To me its 90% dedication and 10% "natural smarts".

I'm not saying these courses can't be challenging or more challenging to some of us. But if you dedicate yourself, you will do well. IMO, of utmost importance is finding the style that you learn best and ride it all the way home. For instance, a lot of people use index cards, but I find that they don't help me so why waste time doing them. I found the method that worked best for me and it made learning and studying a lot easier.

Like with learning the bones, break it up. Don't look at it like OMG, I've got to know all these bones.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Thanks Mangopeach! I'm not going to give up.. and you're right.. it doesn't come naturally to a lot of people. And OMG I'm not looking forward to chem next semester..

I was worried about stats.. but I'm actually enjoying that one. ;)

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I appreciate all this insight. I recently took a biology class and it was as if the harder I studied the worse I did on tests. I felt overwhelmed with foreign information. In retrospect, I figure I had a professor who literally expected her students to devote 3 hours a day if not more to studying. My studying 10 hours a week might have seemed like a lot to me, but it wasn't enough.

I just surfed amazon and saw I could buy a few A&P study guides really cheap. Hopefully I could use along them with what little extra private tutoring I'm able to afford, to navigate through this course. At any rate I feel a little more confident now...although a little more wary as well.

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I have found that Paco69 is right to a certain point A&P 1 requires focus and committment, you must stay on track in this course, however, with this course and 2 other classes and work, and children, and dont forget your DH, (who happens to be 2 kids all wrap up in one) it maybe hard for some of us to focus.

I am taking this course currently, online to top it off, it is fast pace and you must stay focus, so for the next 4 months I will breath, eat and sleep A&P1 so far so good.

Why only because I have stay focus, I got sick for a few days and I had no other choice today but to hit the books for 6 hours straight and at the end I was able to take my chapter quiz chemistry and walk away with a 85 but I dont have the time to stop and take a breather like with other courses, this class is nonstop and I dont know but maybe that is what others see as the challenge also.

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I appreciate all this insight. I recently took a biology class and it was as if the harder I studied the worse I did on tests. I felt overwhelmed with foreign information. In retrospect, I figure I had a professor who literally expected her students to devote 3 hours a day if not more to studying. My studying 10 hours a week might have seemed like a lot to me, but it wasn't enough.

I just surfed amazon and saw I could buy a few A&P study guides really cheap. Hopefully I could use along them with what little extra private tutoring I'm able to afford, to navigate through this course. At any rate I feel a little more confident now...although a little more wary as well.

I took a biology course as well and one of the things I learn from my professor during that course was to read the information and take it in as particle. What he was saying is that science is actually everyday information, sure the terminology will be different but learn to break it down into your own meaning and definitions when I did this and I do it now with my A&P course the concepts are a whole lot easier for me, try it and see if it will help you as well,

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Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

Yes A&P is challenging. Guess what, nursing classes are even more so, believe me. Many students that don't do well make loads of excuses why, that's only natural. Bottom line is, you need to do well in A&P to be competitive to get into nursing. It also really does provide a foundation for clinical practice. It requires lots of work, probably more so than you have been used to. Use any resources available to you, and DON'T procrastinate. If you do well, you will probably have what it takes to do well in nursing classes.

I took A&P I and II with two different profs, with diff styles. I studied and did well as did many other students in the classes. Many of these students made it into the nursing program. So work hard, be confident, and good luck!

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.
i have found that paco69 is right to a certain point a&p 1 requires focus and committment, you must stay on track in this course, however, with this course and 2 other classes and work, and children, and dont forget your dh, (who happens to be 2 kids all wrap up in one) it maybe hard for some of us to focus. i am taking this course currently, online to top it off, it is fast pace and you must stay focus, so for the next 4 months i will breath, eat and sleep a&p1 so far so good.

yes, you are correct. if you have too many other things going on at the same time as a&p you will struggle, a&p is the type of class that requires a lot of attention and if you're going to do well you need to give that attention. i took a&p during a summer session, it was 6 weeks each for parts 1 and 2 and i worked full-time as well the whole way. so for those 12 weeks i lived and breathed a&p when i was not working. i allowed myself very limited free time during the week but i also made sure i was not straying too far away from my goal of getting an a in these classes. i tell future a&p students where at all possible, make sure a&p is all you take in any one semester. lec & lab alone are intense on their own. it's your best chance at an a when you don't have to worry about any other class, particularly if it's another science :eek: ... if it delays your admission to nursing school by a semester or a year to do this, so be it. big deal. when you prioritize your goals and sacrifice along the way, you will achieve them.

bottom line is, you need to do well in a&p to be competitive to get into nursing.

in most schools, the grades you achieve in a&p 1&2 and microbiology are the most important prereq grades! notice that these are the only 3 courses that every nursing school have in common ... do well in these and you're off to an awesome start!

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Just a little reflection...

Out of all my nursing pre-reqs I think I struggled the most in A&P 1 - although in retrospect, I think A&P 2 and Micro were much harder. When I started my pre-reqs for nursing in August '09, A&P 1 was my "main focus" class. I knew that I had to get an A in it but my situation wasn't always accommodating.

I had a baby in June '09 and got married in July. I know that there are a lot of young moms/wives on here, so obviously you know that balancing life with a 4-month-old baby and cramming for A&P tests doesn't always work! In late September, I was hospitalized for a few days and ended up needing to have my gallbladder removed. I missed an A&P test and had to have my dad call my instructor and tell her what was going on - luckily she was understanding and let me make up the test. I had some minor complications after my surgery and was on pain meds for about two weeks, which made me sleepy and made studying even harder. Finances became very strained. Luckily, I have the best parents ever and they were able to help us out with cash here and there.

I remember getting a lot of B's on A&P tests and getting frustrated. It pretty much came down to the final exam for me, and I studied for that test like I'd never studied before. :devil: I got a 98% on the final and I think I ended up with a 93 in the class.

I really think that that class was the thing that made me realize that I CAN do this - no matter how hard it seems sometimes. There were definitely times when I felt hopeless and wanted to give up. You can get through it. I promise.

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