Anatomy and Physiology classes are essential for healthcare students and are available online. Accreditation is important to ensure credit transferability and certification eligibility. Interactive online classes can improve learning outcomes, and healthcare professionals can find open source resources or ask for tuition reimbursement.
Anatomy and Physiology classes are biology courses that provide an in-depth study of the human body, including its systems and disease processes. Typically, students pursuing a degree, or occasionally a certificate, in the health field are required to take classes in anatomy and physiology as part of the required curriculum. Many degree programs offer anatomy and physiology online classes in addition to other online course offerings. Some healthcare degree and certificate programs are offered completely online, while others use a hybrid model to include some on-campus work and labs. Choosing online or distance learning options can be a little daunting with all the variations, but there are some basic considerations.
Regardless of your educational goals, always choose accredited programs; otherwise, the time and effort spent on earning course credit may be wasted if the credit cannot be transferred to another institution at a later date. You may also have an education that does not qualify you for certain certification levels from issuing agencies. For example, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) only allows graduates of institutions with its accreditation to take its certification exams.
If you are interested in taking online anatomy and physiology classes as part of an undecided health course or as a way to start a health course to transfer to a specific health program at another school, be sure to ask both institutions about transfer options. Many for-profit educational institutions and technical schools are not upfront about the likelihood that credits will not transfer from their school to another. If you don’t ask, they might not tell.
Whether you take anatomy and physiology classes online or traditional on-campus classes, course material will cover the major systems of the body, including the respiratory, musculoskeletal, circulatory, digestive, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. A complete course will teach students to identify body parts, anatomical structures and their functions.
The nature of anatomy and physiology is somewhat complex and can be difficult for some students to understand. There is no evidence to suggest that online classes are more or less effective than traditional classes, but some research from the Sloan Consortium indicates that the more interactive the online anatomy class, the better the learning outcome.
If you are a healthcare professional, especially one providing indirect care such as information management or a registry service, and need a refresher course in anatomy and physiology to gain additional credentials, look for open source online modules and resources or ask your workplace about career development or tuition reimbursement before investing in a class on your own.
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