The organization, sensitivity or response to the environment, reproduction, growth and

development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing – when viewed together, all of these
characteristics of life are present in the human body. As defined in the Principles of Anatomy and
Physiology 14th edition by Tortora and Derrickson, there are two branches of science (anatomy and
physiology) which provide the foundation for understanding the body’s parts and functions. Anatomy is
the science of body structures and the relationships among them whereas, physiology is the science of
body functions – how the body parts work.

Anatomy and physiology are required in the nursing field for student nurses to learn and
understand the human body starting from the basic to the complex ones. Nurses can use the knowledge
and skills they acquire to help them in delivering care for their patients – to evaluate, track, and check
the health status of every patient. Assessment is the first step in nursing process, and those assessments
would be meaningless if nurses did not have a firm grasp on anatomy. Not only would they have no idea
what they were doing but they will also have a hard time communicating any findings to the rest of the
healthcare team. Nurses may not be diagnosing patients, but they need to know normal physiology
because their frequent assessments have become the physician's first indication that something is
getting worse. Moreover, the body systems are stable and self-sustaining when they are in equilibrium
that is why anatomy and physiology are paramount in nursing because it helps student nurses learn the
different set points and normal ranges when performing different tests such as in assessing the patient's
vital signs and determining the patient's nutritional levels to evaluate whether the patient's body is in
homeostasis or distress. In other words, studying anatomy and physiology are crucial in nursing because
it allows nurses to understand how a person's body functions in good health so that they may better
understand why their patients become unwell. For example, when patients' conditions change, nurses
will be able to determine the underlying cause of their condition and be able to assist them in regaining
their health.

As a student nurse, I recognize the importance of anatomy and physiology in any medical
practice, including nursing. Nurses cannot truly provide their nursing care plan to those clients and
patients who are in need unless they have a thorough awareness of the structures and functions of the
human body. Taking everything into account, we student nurses need to understand how the human
body works, so that as we get closer to becoming a nurse, we can understand what happens when the
body is ill or injured, and what we can do about it.