Every future health care provider starts their education with a core course in anatomy and physiology. It’s a foundational course that helps students understand the physical and chemical principals behind the human body’s functions: which muscles groups you use to swing a golf club; what happens when a virus starts multiplying; and how brain trauma affects other parts of the body. 

But at UNLV, instructors take a very hands-on approach. Van “DocDoc” Whaley explains why Kinesiology 223 & 224 might become one of your favorite classes.

About Kinesiology 223 & 224

A&P (Anatomy & Physiology) provides knowledge about the human body. It is designed to help understand the concepts of our bodies’ function. This course helps one to learn not only the theoretical concepts but practical uses of the human body.

Who’s taking it

This is an undergraduate course for upperclassmen. There are some prerequisites for the course so we see most people in their sophomore through senior year.

Who’s teaching it

The lectures and labs are taught by a team of 18 faculty members, part-time instructors, and graduate students. In any given week, approximately 1,000 students are actively learning A&P 223 or 224.

What students might be surprised to learn

"Students are surprised that this course is so much more than just memorization of materials," Whaley said. "It is application-based and students are challenged to not only learn the material but to be able to apply their knowledge to real-world situations. For example, students tend to gravitate toward the blood typing labs, most students do not know their own blood type, so providing them with this information can not only boost their knowledge of the health care field, but inform them of their own health as well."

What excites instructors the most about this class

The curiosity of students. "For a lot of students this is their first look into an anatomy course and the first time they get to go into a lab and dissect hearts and brains and use microscopes," Whaley said.

"The pandemic required faculty to pivot to virtual learning but A&P is best learned in a hands-on, eyes-off manner. Now that we are able to return to a traditional classroom setting, fun and unique experiences like drawing the body parts with markers are the types of classroom occurrences that make learning A&P fun and memorable."

What laypeople should know from this course

"Anatomy is exciting within itself. Anyone can learn why we are the way we are. We get to see how we have evolved, and there is always something new that we learn our bodies can do."

Where do students go next: 

Directly following Kinesiology 223, students take Anatomy 2 or Kinesiology 224 as that is the second part to their human anatomy education. After these courses, students tend to go onto nursing, physical therapy, medicine, or graduate school as well as several other disciplines.