Anatomy and Physiology I

Course Description

BSC1085C – Anatomy and Physiology I is a 4-credit integrated lecture-and-laboratory course covering the structure and function of the human body. Daytona State College titles it Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Lab. It is the first half of a two-semester sequence and is the single most consequential prerequisite in Florida allied health education — nursing, dental hygiene, radiography, respiratory care, physical therapist assistant, and paramedic programs all require it, and most of them are limited-access programs that admit on the grades earned in it.

Content covers the organization of the body — levels of organization, homeostasis, anatomical terminology, and body cavities; chemistry as it applies to physiology; cell structure and function including membrane transport and cell division; tissues — epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous; the integumentary system; the skeletal system — bone structure, ossification, the axial and appendicular skeleton, and articulations; the muscular system — muscle tissue, the sliding filament mechanism, and major muscles; the nervous system — neurons, the action potential, synapses, the central and peripheral nervous systems, and reflexes; and the special senses.

The laboratory is where most of the memorization lives: microscopy and histology, skeletal specimens, muscle identification, dissection (commonly cat or sheep organs, or virtual alternatives), and physiology experiments. Practical examinations — identifying structures on specimens under time pressure, without a word bank — are the format most students find hardest.

Offered at approximately 13 Florida institutions under this number, and statewide under this and the BSC2085 numbering.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Use correct anatomical terminology for position, direction, planes, and regions.
• Explain homeostasis and describe negative and positive feedback mechanisms.
• Describe the chemical basis of life relevant to physiological processes.
• Describe cell structure and the function of major organelles.
• Explain membrane transport mechanisms and their energy requirements.
• Identify the four primary tissue types and their subtypes microscopically.
• Describe the structure and functions of the integumentary system.
• Describe bone structure, growth, remodeling, and calcium homeostasis.
• Identify the bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton and their major markings.
• Classify joints and describe the movements each permits.
• Describe muscle tissue types and explain the sliding filament mechanism of contraction.
• Identify major skeletal muscles and state their actions.
• Describe neuron structure and explain the generation and propagation of the action potential.
• Describe synaptic transmission and the role of neurotransmitters.
• Describe the organization of the central and peripheral nervous systems and the reflex arc.
• Describe the structure and function of the special sense organs.
• Perform laboratory procedures safely and identify structures on specimens and models.

Optional Outcomes

• Relate anatomical and physiological principles to common clinical conditions.
• Describe the autonomic nervous system and its divisions.
• Interpret physiological data collected in the laboratory.
• Describe age-related changes in the systems studied.
• Use virtual dissection and anatomy software.
• Describe the relationship of body systems to exercise and physical stress.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Introduction to the body — organization, homeostasis, terminology, cavities, and membranes.
• Chemistry of life — atoms, bonds, water, pH, and biological macromolecules.
• Cells — membrane structure, organelles, transport, and the cell cycle.
• Tissues — epithelial, connective, muscle, and nervous; histological identification.
• Integumentary system — skin layers, accessory structures, and functions.
• Bone tissue — structure, ossification, remodeling, and repair.
• Axial skeleton — skull, vertebral column, and thoracic cage.
• Appendicular skeleton — girdles and limbs.
• Joints — classification, structure, and movements.
• Muscle tissue — skeletal, cardiac, smooth; contraction and energy.
• Muscular system — naming, origins and insertions, and major muscles.
• Nervous tissue — neurons, neuroglia, and membrane potentials.
• Action potential and synapse — generation, propagation, and transmission.
• Central nervous system — brain regions, spinal cord, and meninges.
• Peripheral nervous system — cranial and spinal nerves, and reflexes.
• Special senses — vision, hearing, equilibrium, taste, and smell.
• Laboratory — microscopy, histology, models, dissection, and practical examination.

Optional Topics

• Clinical correlations and pathology.
• Autonomic nervous system.
• Physiological data collection and analysis.
• Aging and body systems.
• Virtual anatomy and dissection software.
• Exercise physiology basics.

Resources & Tools

• Human Anatomy & Physiology (Marieb & Hoehn), Pearson — the most widely adopted text.
• Anatomy & Physiology: An Integrative Approach (McKinley) or Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (Tortora), for programs using alternatives.
• OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology — free, peer-reviewed, and adopted by a growing number of Florida institutions; worth asking about given the cost of the standard texts.
• Laboratory manual — usually institution-specific and separately required.
• Visible Body, Complete Anatomy, or Anatomage — 3D anatomy platforms; many Florida colleges license one, and they are far better for spatial learning than flat diagrams.
• Adaptive homework platforms — Mastering A&P or Connect; access is usually required.
• Anki or Quizlet — spaced repetition; genuinely the right tool for the volume of terminology here.
• Open lab hours and tutoring — free and the strongest predictor of success on practical examinations.

Career Pathways

This course is a gateway rather than a credential. It is a prerequisite for essentially every Florida allied health program:

• Registered Nurse (SOC 29-1141) and Practical Nurse (SOC 29-2061).
• Dental Hygienist (SOC 29-1292).
• Radiologic Technologist (SOC 29-2034) and other imaging professions.
• Respiratory Therapist (SOC 29-1126).
• Physical Therapist Assistant (SOC 31-2021) and Occupational Therapy Assistant (SOC 31-2011).
• Paramedic (SOC 29-2043) and Surgical Technologist (SOC 29-2055).
• Pre-professional study — medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, pharmacy, and physical therapy.
• Exercise Physiologist (SOC 29-1128), athletic training, and health science degrees.

Special Information

⚠ Two number families, and one of them splits the lab — check before enrolling

Florida carries this course under more than one number, and the configurations differ:

SCNS equivalency applies to the same number at the same level, never across numbers. A limited-access nursing or dental hygiene program lists a specific number, and a student who completes a different one may be asked to repeat. Where the lab is split out, taking the lecture without the lab does not satisfy the requirement. Confirm the exact number and configuration your target program requires before registering — this is a very common and entirely avoidable problem.

Grades here decide limited-access admission

Most Florida allied health programs are limited-access: they admit a fixed cohort by competitive ranking, and the science prerequisite GPA carries the most weight. A C may satisfy the prerequisite on paper while being nowhere near competitive for admission, and many programs count only a limited number of repeat attempts — some count the first attempt, some average them, some cap retakes at two. Students should learn their target program's specific policy before the drop deadline of a term that is going badly, because withdrawing and retaking is often better than a low grade, and that decision has a deadline.

Expect a heavy time commitment and a high failure rate

A&P I has one of the highest withdrawal-and-failure rates of any course in the Florida college system, and the reason is volume rather than difficulty: it is a large quantity of precise terminology that must be retained, not derived. Realistic preparation is 10–15 hours a week outside class. The methods that work are spaced repetition started in week one, drawing and labeling rather than rereading, and repeated hands-on time with the actual laboratory specimens — not photographs of them.

The practical examination is the format students underestimate

Laboratory practicals require identifying structures on real specimens and models under a timer, usually without a word bank and often with the specimen positioned differently than in the manual. Studying from diagrams is insufficient preparation. Programs provide open lab hours; using them is the single behavior most strongly associated with passing the practical.

General education and transfer

BSC1085C carries laboratory science general education credit at most Florida institutions and transfers among Florida public institutions under SCNS. Health professions programs almost always require the full year — BSC1085C and BSC1086C — so students should not stop after the first term. Some programs also impose a recency requirement, commonly five to seven years, after which the course must be retaken; students returning to school after a gap should check this early.