Anatomy and Physiology II

Course Description

BSC1086C – Anatomy and Physiology II is the second half of the two-semester integrated lecture-and-laboratory sequence on the structure and function of the human body. Daytona State College titles it Human Anatomy & Physiology II and Lab. It follows BSC1085C and completes the prerequisite that essentially every Florida allied health program requires.

Where the first course covered support, movement, and control — cells, tissues, skin, skeleton, muscle, and the nervous system — this one covers the systems that maintain the internal environment: circulation, respiration, digestion, filtration, defense, regulation, and reproduction. Students commonly report it as the harder of the two, because the emphasis shifts from anatomical memorization toward physiological reasoning: not what a structure is called, but why blood pressure rises when a vessel constricts, or how the kidney adjusts to dehydration.

Content covers the endocrine system — hormones, target tissues, and feedback regulation; the cardiovascular system — blood, the heart, cardiac conduction and the cardiac cycle, vessels, hemodynamics, and blood pressure regulation; the lymphatic system and immunity — innate and adaptive defense; the respiratory system — ventilation mechanics, gas exchange, transport, and control of breathing; the digestive system — anatomy, secretion, motility, digestion, and absorption; metabolism and nutrition; the urinary system — filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and the regulation of blood composition; fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance; and the reproductive systems, with development and heredity where included.

The laboratory covers histology, dissection, blood typing, blood pressure and pulse measurement, spirometry, urinalysis, and physiological experiments.

Offered at approximately 11 Florida institutions under this number, and statewide under this and the BSC2086 numbering.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Describe endocrine glands, their hormones, target tissues, and mechanisms of action.
• Explain hormonal feedback regulation and predict the effects of hyper- and hyposecretion.
• Describe blood composition, hemostasis, and blood typing including ABO and Rh systems.
• Describe cardiac anatomy, the conduction system, and the cardiac cycle.
• Interpret the relationship among cardiac output, stroke volume, and heart rate.
• Describe blood vessel structure and explain the determinants of blood pressure and its regulation.
• Trace blood flow through the systemic, pulmonary, hepatic portal, and fetal circulations.
• Describe lymphatic structure and function and its role in fluid balance.
• Distinguish innate from adaptive immunity and describe humoral and cell-mediated responses.
• Describe respiratory anatomy and the mechanics of ventilation.
• Explain gas exchange, oxygen and carbon dioxide transport, and the control of breathing.
• Describe digestive anatomy and the secretion, motility, digestion, and absorption of nutrients.
• Describe the metabolic fates of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.
• Describe renal anatomy and explain filtration, reabsorption, and secretion.
• Explain how the kidney regulates blood volume, osmolarity, and pH.
• Describe fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance and identify common imbalances.
• Describe male and female reproductive anatomy, physiology, and the reproductive cycles.
• Perform laboratory procedures safely and interpret physiological measurements.

Optional Outcomes

• Describe pregnancy, fetal development, and parturition.
• Describe principles of heredity and common patterns of inheritance.
• Relate physiological principles to common clinical conditions.
• Interpret basic electrocardiogram tracings.
• Describe age-related changes in the systems studied.
• Describe exercise and stress responses across systems.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Endocrine system — glands, hormones, receptors, and feedback control.
• Blood — composition, hematopoiesis, hemostasis, and blood groups.
• Heart — anatomy, conduction, cardiac cycle, and ECG basics.
• Blood vessels — structure, hemodynamics, and capillary exchange.
• Blood pressure regulation — neural, hormonal, and renal mechanisms.
• Circulatory pathways — systemic, pulmonary, portal, and fetal.
• Lymphatic system — vessels, organs, and fluid return.
• Innate immunity — barriers, inflammation, and nonspecific defense.
• Adaptive immunity — lymphocytes, antibodies, and immunological memory.
• Respiratory anatomy and mechanics — airways, lungs, and ventilation.
• Gas exchange and transport — partial pressures, hemoglobin, and CO₂ carriage.
• Control of respiration — chemoreceptors and respiratory centers.
• Digestive anatomy — the alimentary canal and accessory organs.
• Digestive physiology — secretion, motility, enzymatic digestion, and absorption.
• Metabolism and nutrition — nutrient use, energy balance, and thermoregulation.
• Urinary anatomy and the nephron — structure and blood supply.
• Renal physiology — filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and urine concentration.
• Fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance — buffers and compensation.
• Reproductive systems — anatomy, gametogenesis, and hormonal cycles.
• Laboratory — histology, dissection, blood typing, blood pressure, spirometry, and urinalysis.

Optional Topics

• Pregnancy, development, and parturition.
• Genetics and heredity.
• Clinical correlations and pathophysiology.
• Electrocardiogram interpretation.
• Aging across systems.
• Exercise and stress physiology.

Resources & Tools

• Human Anatomy & Physiology (Marieb & Hoehn), Pearson — the most widely adopted; continue with the text used in BSC1085C.
• Anatomy & Physiology: An Integrative Approach (McKinley) or Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (Tortora).
• OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology — free and peer-reviewed; 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 platforms; many Florida colleges license one.
• Adaptive homework platforms — Mastering A&P or Connect; access is usually required.
• Anki or Quizlet — still useful, but this term requires more concept mapping than flashcards.
• Open lab hours and tutoring — free and the strongest predictor of practical exam success.

Career Pathways

This course completes the gateway 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 Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (SOC 29-2032).
• Respiratory Therapist (SOC 29-1126) — where this term's respiratory content is foundational.
• 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.

Special Information

⚠ Confirm the number your program requires — there are three configurations

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

SCNS equivalency applies to the same number at the same level, never across numbers. Where the lab is split out, the lecture alone does not satisfy the requirement. Health programs almost always require the full year — both BSC1085C and BSC1086C — and many impose a recency requirement, commonly five to seven years, after which the sequence must be retaken.

This half is physiology-heavy, and the study method that worked before may not

Students who succeeded in A&P I by memorizing structures often struggle here, because the questions change form: not "name this bone," but "predict what happens to glomerular filtration rate if afferent arteriole diameter decreases." That requires understanding mechanisms and reasoning through them. Concept mapping, drawing flow diagrams of feedback loops, and explaining processes aloud work better than flashcards for this material — though flashcards still serve for the anatomy and terminology.

Grades here decide limited-access admission

Florida nursing and allied health programs are limited-access and admit by competitive ranking, with science prerequisite GPA carrying the most weight. A C satisfies the prerequisite on paper while being uncompetitive in practice, and programs differ on how they count repeats — some use the first attempt, some average, some cap retakes. Learn your target program's policy before the withdrawal deadline of a term that is going badly, because withdrawing and retaking is often the better option and that decision expires.

Plan 10–15 hours a week outside class

A&P has among the highest withdrawal-and-failure rates in the Florida college system, and the second term is not easier than the first. Consistent weekly work beats intensive study before examinations, and the laboratory practical — identifying structures on real specimens under time pressure, without a word bank — requires hands-on time with the actual materials rather than photographs. Programs provide open lab hours for that reason.

General education and transfer

BSC1086C carries laboratory science general education credit at most Florida institutions and transfers among Florida public institutions under SCNS.