TEACHING ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY EFFECTIVELY

Abstract

UST about time this issue of American Journal of Nursing comes off press new students in schools of nursing in all parts of this country will be in their fifth or sixth week of preparatory course. Those of us who have taught, or are teaching, such students know that about this time the first, fine careless rapture of entering a school of nursing usually passes and many students experience a somewhat sharp awakening to fact that courses given during preparatory term represent a very stiff program of classwork and study. This is particularly true of science courses, representing as they do three subjects that, are more often than not entirely new subjects for students. Moreover, science courses necessitate a point of view and an attitude that for many students are overwhelmingly revolutionary. Not one, nor two, but three science courses, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and bacteriology are included. In making out programs for freshmen college students, a great effort is made to limit number of science or laboratory courses to two. Many colleges have a rule to this effect and rarely if ever do college students attempt three science courses in their first year. This is frank recognition that for most beginners, science courses are extremely difficult and laboratory hours required tend to make students' program too heavy. Now that many schools of nursing are drawing their students from upper half or upper third of high school graduating classes, it seems reasonable to assume that they are of about s me mental capacity as students entering college. Yet they are faced with a very much heavier program of work, of which these three science courses are perhaps most difficult. To some of our number who have struggled to keep nursing students free from care of patients during first four or six months this may seem a very discouraging state of affairs. But it may be looked at in another light. Instead of being discouraging it may be regarded as evidence that in keeping students free from care of patients we have been working in right direction. We ought to continue and lengthen preparatory term until it is eight or ten months rather than four or six. Anyone who attempts building a program for degree tudents (so-called five-year students) soon finds that even two years given to preclinical courses is none too much, if program is to be a reasonable one and include necessary subjects. But purpose of this paper is not to discuss program building, but rather to discuss pertinent fa ts about teaching of just one of three sciences included in