Anatomy and physiology (A&P) is a science class where you get to learn about the human body and systems. In my school, it’s notorious for being one of the more ‘difficult’ science classes and tbh it might seem pretty daunting because it involves a lot of memorization and hard work, but it’s actually pretty great. I took A&P last semester so I compiled a bunch of tips for people taking it next year.
● know the layout of the class. every class is different but typically you would have a more lecture based section and a more lab based section (models, dissections). print out the syllabus and highlight the important stuff / write out your most important due dates.
● go in with the expectation to work hard. I have to be frank here: like any other science class, if you slack off, even a miracle won’t bring your grade up. go in with a positive mindset. it also doesn’t hurt to have genuine interest in the content of the class.
● show that you care. this makes a big difference. meet with your professor, ask them questions during office hours, and try to answer any questions they ask in class (even if you get it wrong, they will remember you for the effort that you put into learning).
● again, every class is different but your class will probably have some helpful resources for you to use. for example, in my class we used the textbook, lab manual, review sheets, lab sheets, powerpoint slides, and models / diagrams.
○ know what to study. with so many resources and limited time, it’s difficult and strenuous to study them all. it’s a good idea to ask your professor what you need to focus on. they don’t want you to fail so they’re going to direct you in the right direction.
○ for my class, studying the review sheets and lecture notes was helpful for class lecture exams and studying models / diagrams / lab sheets was helpful for lab practical exams.
○ you’ll also get a better idea of what to study after you take the first test. don’t be discouraged if you don’t do well at first. figure out where you need to improve and what resources to study the most. find a classmate who did really well and ask them what resources they focused on.
○ usually, powerpoints and review sheets are summaries, while textbooks go into detail about concepts. if you have trouble learning / understanding a new concept, try reading the textbook. if you understand the concept but need a concise way to remember it, refer to the summaries.
● know how to study. for me, reviewing my lecture notes, making review sheets, reviewing the information by saying it out loud, and teaching the concept to someone helped me the most. for anatomy and physiology, re-explaining the concepts to my professor and having them correct or add to my knowledge was also helpful. similarly, you should figure out how you study best and use a method that works for you!
● models and diagrams are helpful. since it is the human body and a lot of it is visual, especially for the lab portion of the class, you should pay attention to models and diagrams. knowing the structure of everything and being able to see all the parts is important.
○ I would attend office hours and tell my professor which models I had difficulty understanding. they would explain it to me, and later during the test, I would be visualize the model and remember what my teacher said about the different anatomical structures.
● practice the material in the test format. I was in a study group for A&P lab and we made a powerpoint with pictures we had taken of all the different models. in one slide, we would ‘tag’ the different parts of the model and add questions with arrows and textboxes. in the next slide we would have all the answers. this was the format of the practical exam so practicing the material in the same way helped us recall and regurgitate the information on the test.
A&P was one of my favorite classes and I still remember everything I learned and honestly, I didn’t suffer as much as I thought I would. You’ll be fine. Good luck! - hana from thoughtscholar
