The Anatomy & Physiology course presents the structure and function of the whole human body. You will read about the cells, tissues and walls that make up our bodies and how our vital systems function to help us develop and stay in good health. In this course you will learn to:
- Describe basic human body features and life process.
- Name the significant human body systems and associate their functions.
- Describe the physical locations, components and physical features of the primary elements of each significant system of the human body.
Human anatomy & physiology (A & P) courses are important to a scholar’s success in a nursing program; unfortunately, many beginner learners don’t realize the significance. Some learners who had an A & P class in high school most often learned to remember content; they did not apply what they learned to a practical situation. Other learners were never introduced to the topic in high school. Therefore, beginner nurses registered in individual anatomy & physiology often lack the critical thinking abilities necessary to implement theory to practice. Often they state being unable to comprehend how the topic will serve them in nursing and are more focused on the technical abilities, or ‘real nursing’ material. Seniors, on the other hand, often say they wish they had paid more attention in beginner A & P. With nursing practice, they quickly understand the significance of A & P.
To help beginner nurses comprehend the nursing importance of anatomy & physiology, the writers designed a project giving senior student nurse guides to freshmen. Initially, the A & P trainer, who was missing nursing experience, was concerned with educating A & P material to nurses without providing relevant nursing illustrations. This concern led to the A & P trainer shadowing the critical care nursing trainer and senior nurses during nursing time in the intensive care unit (ICU) to see nursing application of A & P material to practice.
Clinical illustrations are abundant. For example, the A & P trainer saw a patient with serious Laennec’s cirrhosis suffering from severe ascites that was disrupting his respiratory status. Under the nursing teacher’s guidance, she examined, auscultated, and palpated the individual’s fluid-filled stomach and then observed as nine liters of liquid were removed through paracentesis with ultrasound examination. She still uses this research study when educating liquid balance and liver function. This is a great example of how an anatomy & physiology course can become relevant to a student in a nursing program.