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Please wait while the page loadsYear 1 Essentials · Free Resource
The body-system basics that make first year click, with the normal ranges and key ideas worth remembering first.
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Why A&P matters in nursing
Anatomy and physiology matters because it helps you answer the same bedside question again and again: what is this part of the body meant to be doing, and what changes when it starts going wrong?
Student note
You do not need to memorise every tiny detail at once. Start with the job of the system, then learn the changes that matter clinically when that job is not being done properly.
How does the heart pump blood around the body?
This is the heart's electrical pathway. The signal starts in the SA node, pauses briefly at the AV node, then spreads through the ventricles so they squeeze in a coordinated way. It helps to think of it as the wiring that makes the pump work smoothly.
The Heart
Blood Vessels
Blood Pressure
Heart Rate
Red flags
How do the lungs get oxygen in and carbon dioxide out?
Upper Airways
Lower Airways
Oxygen Sats
Respiratory Rate
Red flags
Clinical pearl
Alveoli are the tiny air sacs where oxygen moves into the blood and carbon dioxide moves back out to be breathed away. There are millions of them, which gives the lungs a huge working surface. Surfactant is the slippery lining that helps stop them sticking shut.
How do the kidneys filter blood and control fluid balance?
Key Functions
Urine Output
Kidney Function Markers
Filtration Steps
Red flags
Clinical pearl
A simple way to think about the kidneys is: they filter the blood, keep what the body still needs, add extra waste into the urine, then send the urine out.
How does the brain control and coordinate the body?
Central (CNS)
Peripheral (PNS)
Sympathetic — Fight or Flight
Parasympathetic — Rest & Digest
Red flags
Clinical pearl
GCS is a simple way of describing how awake and responsive someone is by scoring eyes, voice, and movement. A fully alert patient scores 15. A score of 8 or below is serious and raises major concern about airway protection.
What does the body try to keep within a safe range?
Temperature & Glucose
Electrolytes
Urine & Fluid
Why It Matters
Red flags
| Parameter | Normal Range |
|---|---|
| Body Temperature | 36.5–37.5°C |
| Blood Glucose (fasting) | 4–7 mmol/L |
| Blood pH | 7.35–7.45 |
| Serum Sodium | 135–145 mmol/L |
| Serum Potassium | 3.5–5.0 mmol/L |
| Serum Calcium | 2.2–2.6 mmol/L |
| Urine Output | >0.5 ml/kg/hr |
Red flags — where basic A&P knowledge really matters
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