What are some tips for Microbiology?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I just finished making A's in A&P1 and 2 over the summer. I am taking Microbiology at my nursing school in the fall. What were things you did that made Microbiology easier?

I made color coded charts when it came to the various diseases we had to learn. I used a different color for viral, bacterial, fungi and so on.. It's a lot of info but color coding the diseases made it easy for me to remember-- ESP when you have to list causative agent, signs & symptoms, pathogenesis, epidemiology, treatment & prevention.. I found micro very interesting and the text book easier to follow than a&p

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Micro is definitely challenging...but I really loved the class.

Lots of studying is the key. Make sure you read before lecture, take notes during lecture, and then re-read. I used my notes to include circular referencing to earlier material. With each new chapter, I tried to make connections to the previous chapters to keep it all fresh in my mind.

Also, every time you encounter a new disease in lecture, write it down along with the important things to know for that specific one. our final included lots of disease questions, matching, multiple choices and short answer. We had a list of 80+ diseases to know all about.

Good luck :-)

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I got the Medical Microbiology and Immunology flash cards, so I will see if that helps at all. I wish there were some supplemental books like A&P, but they either were old or not really what I was looking for.

Amazon.com: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Flash Cards, Updated Edition: with STUDENT CONSULT Online and Print, 1e (9780323065337): Ken S. Rosenthal PhD: Books

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This is not so much advice, as a forewarning. LEARN micro, don't just memorize it long enough to test. I start a BSN program Monday. I was just looking over the powerpoints that have been posted for my Patho/Pharm class... Looks like a GIANT micro review for at least the first two weeks! Micro was my favorite prereq. You'll love it!

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dont know why this class is considered hard. it's basically memorization i slept through more than half of the classes and pulled a B+. the only things that were memorization was basic biology (rna, dna, mrna, codons) stuff like that.

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I'm taking micro starting September 2012

I hate true memorization, I like things that are more abstract, I do not see in pictures.

I'm a little worried.

Thanks for all the tips

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I an A in micro. I was one of 8 ppl that did. My friends all received C's :-/ But my advice.....pronounce the bacterium names by how they are spelled lol. And say them correctly to the teacher. And remember...when its time for unknowns take pictures with a camera through the lens....and you can print them out instead of drawing! :-D makes for better recollection and distinguishing what from the other.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

I took Micro 18 years ago and have to re-take it this semester because my credits are now considered "too old" to be accepted into the program. (Got an A in Micro too!!!)

My best advice is to sketch out every slide in lab and label them. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but buy some colored pencils, take a piece of paper and draw 4 circles on it (to represent your slides) and photo-copy a stack of them. Every time you have lab, draw everything you see in the slide, in color, and label each part. It's active memorization and it REALLY helps you retain the information. I found it to be a great study tool when it came time to take lab exams. I was able to identify my slides with ease.

Don't be scared of Micro...it's actually a lot of fun! Yes, it's hard work memorizing, but I really enjoyed the class. Looking forward to taking it again this semester :D

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I actually got a B :). I think I will like patho more!

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I loved my microbiology class. It's really interesting, you will never be bored. I recorded my lectures all the time. Once I was home and had a little time. I will listen to the lecture and read over my notes. Make sure you read over your notice everyday. It made it super easy for me. Me and my study buddy were the only people that Got a A. Microbiology just has a lot of notes.

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where did you take your micro class?

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do you need to know chemistry to do microbiology?

No. Im in micro and chem altho my chem just started...it is an accelerated 8 wk class. And my school chem is not a pre-req to micro. I do not see a whole lot of chem in micro really. Maybe it depends on what book you are using etc.

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