Anatomy and Physiology elective spotlight

At the Hamburg Area High School, there are tons of electives to choose from, ranging from science, English, history, business, programming, and woodworking electives. Lots of them can be helpful for one’s future career, depending on what students are interested in. One elective that can be helpful to students entering the medical field to be a nurse, occupational therapist, or doctor is Anatomy and Physiology. In order for a student to take this class, they must pass their Biology class and take the Biology course. In Anatomy and Physiology, students will learn about the organization of the body/tissues, the skeletal, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems, which are beneficial for knowing more about the human body and how these systems work.
    These systems are expanded throughout the year, and students will learn about the systems more in-depth. “We do focus a lot on diseases, especially when we get to the systems. Knowing more knowledge of these diseases, students can understand how they affect people in many different ways,” stated Mrs. Sinopoli. She also adds that Anatomy and Physiology are highly recommended for students wanting to enter the medical field because they will cover almost every aspect and every system that occurs in the human body, and this also includes biology knowledge relating to medical elements. Senior Lexi Ewing, a student taking this elective, currently states, “I am taking this class since I want to major in nursing. I find this class very interesting, and it sparks my interest in my future career.” Lexi included that this class helps her since they talk about the different systems in depth, which can make her and other students better understand how everything works in the human body.
    Other than this class helping students who have a desire to enter the medical field, it can improve their memory with visual/physical concepts and activities. Mrs. Sinopoli shared a great story about a former student she had. She explains that the students were learning about the cardiovascular system, and they were listening to their hearts using stethoscopes and learning to listen to the sounds of the heart. At the time, one of her former student was taking AP Biology, and they were also learning about the cardiovascular system. When she listened to the sound of her heart, she noticed that her heartbeat was different from that of other students. This student took multiple tests and later found out that her doctor stated she had a heart murmur. With this student’s understanding of the cardiovascular system, she was able to identify that something was different about her heartbeat compared to other students.
    Anatomy and Physiology also has some other factors involving different activities such as labs, active labs, projects, and more engaging activities. This class is also suitable for keeping a stable memory that involves a lot of visual learning with the skeleton, muscles, and organization of the organs. “I love learning new things since it keeps me engaged with learning more,” stated senior Lexi Ewing. Anatomy and Physiology also include readings from the textbook to ensure a better understanding of how things in the body are and why they are essential.