Caduceus Posted October 6, 2015 Posted October 6, 2015 I'm taking human anatomy and physiology right now and I need some tips for studying! The methods I used in gen. bio. aren't working for me with this class, it's much harder. Does anyone have some advice for succeeding in this class? (not just passing, but getting an A.)
Arctickat Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 A & P has got to be the most difficult class to get a handle on it's just hard core memorization of the body systems and how they work. I can't offer you any real memory tips and tricks but I can provide this bit of advice. When you're learning about each system, think about how the body systems respond and are affected by variations down the line. Here's an example. Hypernatremia. How does the body respond? What the receptors detect is too much salt, so, to fix it, the brain tells the digestive system to drink more water. Does this decrease the salt content? No, but it dilutes it to the point of reduced risk to the body. In truth, hypernatremia is typically caused by dehydration. The salt content in the body is usually normal, but it's the water content that is reduced, resulting in higher serum levels. Hyper and Hypoglycemia are similar, Hyperglycemics have a loss of appetite, nausea, vomitting, frequent urination and excessive thirst. Why? The body is trying to prevent food (sugar) intake by getting the digestive tract to remove as much as possible, urinate as much as it can to remove the glucose from the body, and thirst to get fluid into the body that would dilute the glucose as well as feed the kidneys. Hypoglycemics are the opposite, they get hungry, wanna eat, not urinate, and try to get those glucose levels back up. A&P is likely the most important class you will take because you will learn to think about how things work in the body and more importantly, how they affect other parts of the body when they don't work properly. Once you get the hang of it, the rest of class will be a breeze because you'll be able to look at a patient's condition and with a reasonably high index of suspicion be able to identify the root cause of the problem. On another note, if I may ask; why is your user name the symbol for commerce and banking? 1
paramedicmike Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 As 'Kat mentioned, anatomy is tough in that it is mostly rote memorization. Repetition and more repetition. Find a white board and draw it all out over and over and over and over again. Then do it again.
SWA_EMT Posted October 9, 2015 Posted October 9, 2015 What helped me was listening to music while I studied. I'm talking light, soft, classical music. It's said to open up your mind & allow you to think clearer. Just my 2 cents. 1
julia006 Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 I memorize terms then with a help from my sister she will make quizzes so I can understand . Anatomy and kinesiology is my favorite study
Caduceus Posted October 20, 2015 Author Posted October 20, 2015 Thanks for the advice all...I didn't do so hot on my first exam (89%) but I'll do better the next time around.
Arctickat Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 It's a decent mark. Still didn't answer my question though.
Caduceus Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 On another note, if I may ask; why is your user name the symbol for commerce and banking? To answer your question...I'm a banker Just kidding. I'm so glad you actually brought that to my attention. I got a good laugh when I went to read the ACTUAL meaning of the Caduceus and saw that it was used incorrectly as a symbol for healthcare. It's kind of terrible, when you think about the cost of healthcare in the US. But something can be said for EMS, which properly used the Rod of Ascelpius. So now I'm stuck with this username. I'm just going to assign another arbitray meaning to it to render the original meaning completely moot.
Arctickat Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 Ok. I just figured you were in this for the money.
Caduceus Posted October 22, 2015 Author Posted October 22, 2015 That would not be the smartest thing. If making money was important to me, I'd be a politician.
Recommended Posts