I know it's too early to plan on summer courses, but I need to ask your opinion about which route to take.
This semester I'm taking Gen Bio, so I can go for A&P 1 during summer. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to take my first science course on such a short period. There is another option for me: take easy courses on summer and A&P on fall.
There are two Options:
1.
A&P 1 summer semester
A&P 2 fall semester
Micro Spring semester
Or
2.
A&P 1 fall semester
A&P 2 spring semester
Micro during Summer
I'm not sure which plan is more reasonable to take. Help me please.
At my school general biology was focused on the cellular level; Microbiology was like the same information, but on a more detailed level. Information on bacteria specifically was covered a lot more in depth.
Of all the prereqs I took, microbiology was the most fun simply because of how interesting the lab portion was, but I wouldn't say it was easy and just memorization. Because you are learning the processes of how bacteria grow you are learning working concepts more than just recognizing things like anatomy.
I took Micro in the summer and found it super easy despite the fast pace. I took A&P1 in the fall and 2 in the spring. I personally can't imagine doing either in the summer because of all the material but I have friends who did and were fine.
Everyone told me not to take A&P over the summer, and I ignored them and did fine. It is a lot of information to absorb though. One thing to consider - I personally found A&P wayy more interesting than micro, and therefore easier. I wouldn't agonize over the decision too much though. They are both challenging and important classes; it probably doesn't make too much of a difference which you choose to take when. I'd probably choose the one that had the best professor teaching over the summer or whichever one my friends were taking so I'd have study partners.
I took chemistry and anp1 in the summer last year. I would say take anp you won't get a lot of the extra info they give you during the regular semesters because in the summer they only give you the meat an potatoes.
Also check the reviews on your teachers. Having a terrible teacher in a fast paced class will be a nightmare
I think a lot of it depends on the professor you have, honestly. As well as how you learn. You know yourself better than anyone! Personally I'm taking A &P II this upcoming summer (8 week course) but I'm not terribly worried because the professor I'm taking from is wonderful. :)
Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.
I think it depends on how your school system is set up. I was on a quarter system so summer quarter was 8 weeks instead of 10 weeks for the other quarters. A&P was pretty intense (though managable) in an 10 week quarter. I think you could survive doing it summer quarter, but if I had a choice I'd take it in a full-term and take micro in the shorter term. In my experience micro had a fair amount of busy work, but required much less dedicated study time than either A&P course.
I can't understand why your school would make A&P I a pre-req for Micro. That makes no sense at all! I can see General Biology as a pre-req, not A&P.
Personally, I feel you need a strong foundation in Physiology to really understand the pathophysiology involved in nursing, so I would recommend A&P in the Fall, A&P II in the Spring and Micro in the summer.
Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.
I can't understand why your school would make A&P I a pre-req for Micro. That makes no sense at all! I can see General Biology as a pre-req, not A&P.
If OP's school is like the one I went to for pre-reqs, it isn't so much that A&P1 specifically is required for Micro, but that Micro requires 2 "biology" based courses as pre-reqs. For most pre-healthcare students this was easiest to satisfy by taking "Bio 101: General Bio" and "Bio 240: A&P1" because both were required classes anyway. Technically you could take Bio 101 and any other bio class as a pre-req, but if that other bio class wasn't required for your healthcare related degree why waste the time and money?
I do agree with you that A&P1 as a basis for taking Micro doesn't make sense. The foundation for Micro is all general bio.
I took Physiology in the summer and got an A, Anatomy would have been very difficult for me in the summer because it is ALOT of memorization. I initially would say take Micro, but there was some overlap with Physio in Microbiology that was really helpful for me. Ultimately, all three classes are difficult in different ways. Combined Anatomy/Physio may be a bit easier than how I took it, but if I was you find out which body systems are covered in A&P 1 and if Skeletal and Muscular is covered, I would highly suggest taking Microbiology in the summer and not A&P 1. Good luck!
Another suggestion to make it a bit easier in summer is watching online A&P lectures. On Youtube there is a channel called Physiology for Students and the professor posted all of her lectures which are so helpful! Each lecture is started with an Anatomy overview so it will help you when you get to A&P especially if you're taking it in the summer.
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gere7404, BSN, RN
662 Posts
At my school general biology was focused on the cellular level; Microbiology was like the same information, but on a more detailed level. Information on bacteria specifically was covered a lot more in depth.
Of all the prereqs I took, microbiology was the most fun simply because of how interesting the lab portion was, but I wouldn't say it was easy and just memorization. Because you are learning the processes of how bacteria grow you are learning working concepts more than just recognizing things like anatomy.