Will my previous exposure to A&P help me?

Sparrow91 · May 24, 2014

I personally did not take HS A&P I did do well without having taken it. As you have said college level will be vastly different and challenging, however I am sure that it will have at least some benefit over those who have not taken it before. Just be ready to take a lot of notes, to learn a whole bunch of mnemonics, and find a good study group! Good luck to you! :)

RunBabyRN · May 24, 2014

I would imagine it will help you a lot. You'll have certain concepts down, which will allow you to focus on the stuff you don't already know. You'll have an advantage knowing the planes and what distal and proximal mean. :)

misty828 · Jun 5, 2014

I took college level anatomy and physiology my senior year. I also took it again for a refresher once I got into College. Getting the information a second time around helped me out quite a bit to really understand and retain the material.

bear94, BSN, RN · Jun 5, 2014

Well it definitely can't hurt! Some background is way better than no background. College A&P is not as hard as everyone tells you it's going to be, just a lot of memorization. (also, you'll notice in classes like A&P the people that complain about things being the hardest are the ones who try the least) It can get a little frustrating... There were times that I would get so mad because I felt like I was memorizing more than actually learning for tests. You should do just fine! Especially since you have a knack for science and background with the course!

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Jun 5, 2014

It will certainly give you a little bit of an edge. I also took Anatomy in high school. However, college A&P vs. high school A&P is going to be a very big change. The college course of A&P is much more in depth and detailed, requiring a lot of memorization. I agree with PP. I felt like I was memorizing things for exams than actually learning. However, I'm confident that you'll do fine. Take advantage of office hours and study groups if those are available to you, and you find yourself struggling.

504 medic · Jun 5, 2014

A&P is not a once and done course...the version you took in HS will help you understand A&P 1, which will help you with A&P 2, which if you go on to advanced schooling, will help you with system specific classes, with gross anatomy, etc. Even 1 credit Medical Terminology courses are really A&P-Lite...each time you revisit the subject, if you've previously tried to learn, not just tried for a passing grade, then you will learn an enormous amount...and your patients will benefit. If you cannot visualize how it works when its right, you certainly can't understand what has gone wrong, and how to fix it.

Pick up your A&P materials at least once a week. Refresh a few things, learn a few new things, keep it relevant whether you are currently taking an A&P class or not. So when you take one, you'll crush it.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Jun 5, 2014

I did horrible in high school sciences and have done very well in college. I have an A in every A&P class including a 96 in advanced physiology. I got a B in micro. I think it will help it's just really a matter of memorization. You continue to build on previous concepts.

ksw1978 · Jun 5, 2014

I took both A and P's 5/6 years ago. I'm hoping there's still some info retained in the deep dark depths of my brain!

dc1994 · Jun 5, 2014

Thank you all for your responses.

Bear94, I've found your comment about other students to be VERY true...and not just in science courses! There have been many students like that in all of my classes.

GoodnessFlows · Jun 5, 2014

At my school there is a combined anatomy/physiology course available, and although it is not the required pre-req for nursing, many (including myself) opt to take it as a way to ease into the required pre-reqs of anatomy/physiology.

I wouldn't say that the class helped me dramatically, but it definitely helped. What it did was give me the language, so that when I saw it again, it wasn't new. That was helpful, because I felt like I wasn't fully starting from scratch, whereas most of my classmates were.

I learned that the class I took prior was simply a warm up class and didn't nearly go as deep as I did in the actual required anatomy class. So, I think it most definitely will help you, however it doesn't mean it will be a cake walk either. It sounds like Science is your thing, so having already taken anatomy in high school will be an asset to you!