Anatomy and Physiology

Study guide

The largest topic in the app, split evenly across five body systems, and the one that pays off everywhere else. FREC 3 assumes this material rather than teaching it; FREC 4 examines it directly in its own invigilated paper. If you are short of time and revising for both levels, this is the topic with the best return.

Respiratory system

Structure, the breathing cycle, and what changes it. Sits directly under airway management at both levels.

• Know the airway from the mouth and nose down, and what each structure contributes — questions link a structure to the consequence of it being obstructed or damaged.
• The mechanics of breathing are examined as a cycle, including what drives it and what alters the rate and depth.
• Gas exchange is asked about at the level of where it happens and what it requires, not at the level of biochemistry.

Cardiovascular system

Blood, the heart and the vessels. The direct foundation of the FREC 4 ECG topic.

• The chambers, valves and great vessels are examined as a circuit: questions follow a drop of blood and ask where it goes next.
• The conduction system and the cardiac cycle are what make a rhythm strip readable, so learn them here rather than in the ECG topic.
• Blood components and their functions come up in their own right and again under bleeding and shock.

Nervous system

Central and peripheral, somatic and autonomic. Underpins head injury, spinal injury and unconsciousness.

• The central and peripheral divisions are asked about by function as well as by anatomy — which structures belong to which, and what each division does.
• The autonomic division explains a large share of the signs seen in shock and in stress responses.
• Protective structures around the brain and cord are the link between this topic and head and spinal injury.

Musculoskeletal system

Bone, joints and muscle. Underpins fractures, immobilisation and manual handling.

• Bone structure and the types of joint are examined by what they allow and what they resist, which is what makes an injury pattern predictable.
• The primary functions of the musculoskeletal system — support, movement, protection and more — come up as a named list.
• Named regions of the skeleton appear in questions about mechanism, so the axial and appendicular split is worth knowing cleanly.

Digestive, endocrine, skin and reproductive systems

The remaining systems FREC touches on, gathered into one group because each alone is small.

• The layers of the skin are what make burn severity make sense; this is the most frequently reused content in the group.
• The endocrine pancreas sits under diabetic emergencies in the medical component.
• The reproductive content is examined through pregnancy and the stages of labour, which is where FREC 4 picks it up again.

In the exam This topic is examined by function far more than by name. A question rarely asks what a structure is called; it asks what happens when it stops working. Revise by asking "and then what?" of every structure. The bank draws its anatomy from OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology (1st edition), used under CC BY 4.0 — a free, complete textbook you can read alongside these questions.