Currently, I have a lot of A&P going on. In my lecture class we just finished up the Endocrine System. It's really fascinating to me, and I learned a lot I didn't already know. Like the Pituitary consists of two lobes: Anterior and Posterior. Didn't know that. And I always thought the Pituitary Gland was the main gland in charge, but its not. Well it's important but the Hypothalamus does the controlling. It secretes releasing or inhibiting hormones (hormones that cause a release in another hormone, or that inhibit the release of another hormone) that are used to regulate the Anterior Pituitary. The Anterior Pituitary secretes hormones that act on other Endocrine glands, such as the Thyroid which will then produce its own hormones. The Posterior Pituitary actually secretes two hormones that are made by the Hypothalamus. Wow.
We are about to start Blood in my lecture class, while we just finished it in my lab class. In lab, we tested blood (well, it was actually some chemical of some sort) to find out its RH blood grouping (which tells you the positive or negative aspect of your blood type) and we also tested it to determine Type A, B, AB or O. Then we took sheep's blood and put it in thin plastic tubes, called capillary tubes, that you see when you are trying to give blood and they want to see if you are anemic. We then ran the capillary tubes through a centrifuge-a machine that spins the blood to pack all the red cells together. We then took these tubes and placed them on this scale-like contraption that allowed us to determine the hematocrit. We also learned how to do a differential white blood cell count, and how to tell the white blood cells apart. There are 5 different types of white blood cells.
Now we are on to the heart in my lab class. Tonight we dissected a pig heart. While it was cool, I felt completely lost because I did not know all that I was looking at. I would have enjoyed it more if I had already learned all the parts I need to know. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the heart, but I know that will pass. I always feel overwhelmed with a new subject that I have to learn all the parts to, but then once I start going over it and learning what and where everything is, I realize there was no reason to feel overwhelmed in the first place. Hey, I thought I would never learn the bones or muscles, or heck even all the parts of the brain that I needed to know, and I ended up scoring the highest grade of my lab professor's two classes for both the midterm AND the final, so I really didn't need to be that worried. I am trying to remind myself that I do well with the models. Right now, I am feeling that I won't be doing as well in lab as last semester, and I am hoping I am wrong. So I will tell myself again that the overwhelming feeling I am feeling is premature and I will do well.
I have my first quiz in lab next Thursday (Blood and heart). The following Wednesday I will have my first exam in lecture class (Endocrine and Blood). Next week we begin blood vessels in lab. Whew.
Oh, I am really liking my lecture professor so far. As I have said before, she was highly recommended by many people, and she really seems to want to make sure we know what's going on. If we're just not getting it, after we've gone over things many times, she encourages us to set up an appointment with her during her office hours. But in class she will go over a concept, and then go over it again. She will ask us direct questions to see if we get it, and then she will go over it ever more. I guess the first exam will tell.
We are about to start Blood in my lecture class, while we just finished it in my lab class. In lab, we tested blood (well, it was actually some chemical of some sort) to find out its RH blood grouping (which tells you the positive or negative aspect of your blood type) and we also tested it to determine Type A, B, AB or O. Then we took sheep's blood and put it in thin plastic tubes, called capillary tubes, that you see when you are trying to give blood and they want to see if you are anemic. We then ran the capillary tubes through a centrifuge-a machine that spins the blood to pack all the red cells together. We then took these tubes and placed them on this scale-like contraption that allowed us to determine the hematocrit. We also learned how to do a differential white blood cell count, and how to tell the white blood cells apart. There are 5 different types of white blood cells.
Now we are on to the heart in my lab class. Tonight we dissected a pig heart. While it was cool, I felt completely lost because I did not know all that I was looking at. I would have enjoyed it more if I had already learned all the parts I need to know. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the heart, but I know that will pass. I always feel overwhelmed with a new subject that I have to learn all the parts to, but then once I start going over it and learning what and where everything is, I realize there was no reason to feel overwhelmed in the first place. Hey, I thought I would never learn the bones or muscles, or heck even all the parts of the brain that I needed to know, and I ended up scoring the highest grade of my lab professor's two classes for both the midterm AND the final, so I really didn't need to be that worried. I am trying to remind myself that I do well with the models. Right now, I am feeling that I won't be doing as well in lab as last semester, and I am hoping I am wrong. So I will tell myself again that the overwhelming feeling I am feeling is premature and I will do well.
I have my first quiz in lab next Thursday (Blood and heart). The following Wednesday I will have my first exam in lecture class (Endocrine and Blood). Next week we begin blood vessels in lab. Whew.
Oh, I am really liking my lecture professor so far. As I have said before, she was highly recommended by many people, and she really seems to want to make sure we know what's going on. If we're just not getting it, after we've gone over things many times, she encourages us to set up an appointment with her during her office hours. But in class she will go over a concept, and then go over it again. She will ask us direct questions to see if we get it, and then she will go over it ever more. I guess the first exam will tell.
0 comments:
Post a Comment