Studying for anatomy before PT school.

[Dragon416]

So I want to start studying for gross anatomy in a month to have good insight on the subject. I bought Netters coloring book and flashcards. Is this a good idea? Thanks!

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[PTpro]

Sounds like a good idea. I was thinking of doing the same. I'd be interested to hear what the current/past students say on this.

 

[riseboi]

My recommendation would be to hold off on studying. Enjoy your free time while you have it.

 

[futuredpt01]

Riseboi is spot on, enjoy the time you have now.. studying now really won't be all that helpful IMO. Free time will be hard to come by once you get started, so no reason to stress about anatomy already. However, that's just my .02 ... there are numerous threads on this topic if you use the search function

 

[jblil]

Don't bother... Unless you use it every day (which you would, in PT school), you'll forget it very quickly. Enjoy your free time now.

 

[Azimuthal]

My classmates who took the time to study anatomy before our program began said that "it didn't cushion the sting from the punch-to-the-face". The rigor of self study is nowhere near the caliber of what is to come. With that said, relax.

 

[lovepixie]

I wouldn't recommend it. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FREE TIME BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS. You will get enough of anatomy when school starts, no need to start the headaches now

 

[aroszko]

I agree with what everyone has said. Once you start your program your professors will give you all the tools you need to succeed. All professors teach a little bit differently and you will pick up what you need in no time. Definitely enjoy the free time that you have now, it won't be like that once school starts!

 

[Dragon416]

Thanks guys for the input! I might just use the coloring book as a fun tool for now!

 

[Carson Ranger]

how about a link to a good medical terminology study aid?

 

[sunnyskies26]

Current PT student here... if you REALLY want to do something before school starts, make muscle flash cards! Origin, insertion, innervation and function. I wish I had done these before school started because they take a LONG time to make. I'm currently making them for next quarter and it's going to save me a lot of time during the quarter

 

[Dragon416]

Current PT student here... if you REALLY want to do something before school starts, make muscle flash cards! Origin, insertion, innervation and function. I wish I had done these before school started because they take a LONG time to make. I'm currently making them for next quarter and it's going to save me a lot of time during the quarter

I already bought Netters flashcards! So I hope that will save me the time rather than writing all of them down.

 

[DesertPT]

how about a link to a good medical terminology study aid?

http://www.dmu.edu/medterms/welcome/

I found this a while ago and bookmarked it thinking I would go through it at some point...I haven't yet lol but it looks like a pretty decent overview.

 

[Watson27]

How much anatomy have you taken previously? Only A&P? MSK? If you still have an atlas, or know what atlas your PT school uses, you can go ahead and buy it. But I'm with the majority and think trying to study now won't be that helpful.

I know everyone hates on exercise/kines degrees, but this is one of the times I'm glad I majored in exercise & movement. We were required to take multiple anatomy courses, including gross anatomy. I found that store-bought flashcards and coloring books were not nearly as helpful and creating your own charts and flashcards. Just my two cents and what worked for me.

But seriously, don't bother. Just relax!

 

[SBanks]

Just finished first semester which included 12 hours a week of gross anatomy. We also took a functional anatomy class 4 hours/week. I studied a good bit before we started- learning upper extremity origin insertion action and innervation. I Also really began to look at why a muscle causes certain motions based on the O and I. If you study it correctly you won't forget it. It definitely helped me out a lot.

 

[Dragon416]

How much anatomy have you taken previously? Only A&P? MSK? If you still have an atlas, or know what atlas your PT school uses, you can go ahead and buy it. But I'm with the majority and think trying to study now won't be that helpful.

I know everyone hates on exercise/kines degrees, but this is one of the times I'm glad I majored in exercise & movement. We were required to take multiple anatomy courses, including gross anatomy. I found that store-bought flashcards and coloring books were not nearly as helpful and creating your own charts and flashcards. Just my two cents and what worked for me.

But seriously, don't bother. Just relax!

Only A&P 1 and 2, I have forgot most of the material by now. I was going to law school before I made the decision to pursue a career in physical therapy and my major was political science.

 

[engmedpt]

random, but anybody got a schedule they use for school they wouldn't mind sharing?

Im 9-5 on campus, 2-3 hour freetime for work...study a few hours at night (about 3). appr. 12 hours on weekend for lab catchup. 3 upper level bio courses and labs...21 hours in class a week. wanted to see how comparable my schedule will be for adjustment. best to get good habits. If I matriculate, I'll be hopping right in after summer. I assume the freetime would be cut down to lunch only and Id need a bit more study time on the weekend esp. during crunch time.

 

[futuredpt01]

@engmedpt Just finished 2nd semester of year 1 of school. Generally we start class at 8:30 end at 4:30 (Monday-Friday).. With an hour break from 11:50 - 1:00. Once we get out at 4:30 I usually go to the gym go home eat/shower, start studying around 6:30 until I go to bed. Usually I take friday night off and study a half a day Saturday and all day Sunday. If we have 2-3 exams that week I will obviously study Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Pretty much all depends on what you have coming up that next week.

 

[starrsgirl]

I was generally on campus 8-5pm this semester, averaged about 2- 3 hours of studying on week nights (I studied 8pm
to 11pm) . On Friday nights I got in closer to 4 hours. Saturday and Sundays I studied all day....anywhere from 6-12 hours each day depending on exams. All in all sounds pretty similar. I will say many of my classmates did more. I tended to fall on the lesser side because of family stuff. (Even though my hours seem high on paper it doesn't capture whole days I had to take off sometimes from studying for other commitments).

 

[DesertPT]

random, but anybody got a schedule they use for school they wouldn't mind sharing?

Im 9-5 on campus, 2-3 hour freetime for work...study a few hours at night (about 3). appr. 12 hours on weekend for lab catchup. 3 upper level bio courses and labs...21 hours in class a week. wanted to see how comparable my schedule will be for adjustment. best to get good habits. If I matriculate, I'll be hopping right in after summer. I assume the freetime would be cut down to lunch only and Id need a bit more study time on the weekend esp. during crunch time.

You study like >35hrs a week consistently in undergrad? Sheesh... Please don't think I'm saying your stupid or something, I'm just amazed. Most people just cram before exams.

And as for PT school, from what I've seen on various thread here and heard from various students I've known/talked to, it seems like PT students study schedules and study habits vary pretty widely. Some have to study a lot more that others. But you will figure out what works best for you.

 

[engmedpt]

Yeah. I have to compete against everyone in my classes and many pure science courses arent actually merit based, its rank based. My school sucks and its more academic competition rather than learning. Needless to say, my work ethic is already prepared for graduate school this much in advance. Your GPA's were incredibly similar to mine. only varied by hundredths of points. Maybe you dont have such a hostile atmostphere? I go to a top 15 public univeristy. competition is cuttthroat. I HATE IT. I want this to disappear in pt school.

 

[engmedpt]

I also have realized that I overprepare...........

 

[engmedpt]

...Dont be a perfectionist.....not good for your health. neither are research professors that have the teaching skills of a 15 year old

 

[DesertPT]

Yeah. I have to compete against everyone in my classes and many pure science courses arent actually merit based, its rank based. My school sucks and its more academic competition rather than learning. Needless to say, my work ethic is already prepared for graduate school this much in advance. Your GPA's were incredibly similar to mine. only varied by hundredths of points. Maybe you dont have such a hostile atmostphere? I go to a top 15 public univeristy. competition is cuttthroat. I HATE IT. I want this to disappear in pt school.

That sucks. This is a perfect example of why school rankings (aka USNWR) are bogus.

 

[DesertPT]

...research professors that have the teaching skills of a 15 year old

Ain't that the truth...

 

[PTMattI]

[QUOTE="engmedpt, post: Maybe you dont have such a hostile atmostphere? I go to a top 15 public univeristy. competition is cuttthroat. I HATE IT. I want this to disappear in pt school.[/QUOTE]


From my experience, competition in PT school is very minimal. For the most part, everyone wants everyone else to do well and is very supportive. Its not like there is immense competition for internships / clinical rotations, and there is an abundance of jobs to be had once you graduate.

 

[DesertPT]

From my experience, competition in PT school is very minimal. For the most part, everyone wants everyone else to do well and is very supportive. Its not like there is immense competition for internships / clinical rotations, and there is an abundance of jobs to be had once you graduate.

Thank goodness for that...

 

[PT2Bee]

Logs on to SDN, sees this questions, *shudders*, logs off SDN. Haha, enjoy your time off. I'm a second year student and did not feel overwhelmed or behind by not studying before school. You will be fine.

 

[futuredpt01]

There is little to no competition at all in my PT program. We have a rather small class though only 29 students and we really go out of our way to encourage & support each other through the tough times. I've heard this is how it is from friends in other programs as well. So, don't worry hopefully your competition days will be behind you once you start grad school.

 

[NewTestament]

PT students are type A people but they certainly don't have a killer instinct. This isn't medical school or law school. PT students have a natural inclination to help others. That's why they entered this profession.

 

[aroszko]

Yeah. I have to compete against everyone in my classes and many pure science courses arent actually merit based, its rank based. My school sucks and its more academic competition rather than learning. Needless to say, my work ethic is already prepared for graduate school this much in advance. Your GPA's were incredibly similar to mine. only varied by hundredths of points. Maybe you dont have such a hostile atmostphere? I go to a top 15 public univeristy. competition is cuttthroat. I HATE IT. I want this to disappear in pt school.

In my program theres 51 of us and its not a competition at all. Everyone is there to support each other, we share notes and study tools that we have and if anyone asks for extra help there is always someone willing to spend the extra time with them. You won't have to worry about the competition aspect in PT school, its not like they only have a few degrees to hand out, if you earn it you will get it! Best of luck.

 

[engmedpt]

PT students are type A people but they certainly don't have a killer instinct. This isn't medical school or law school. PT students have a natural inclination to help others. That's why they entered this profession.

A main reason for switching away from med.......among many many many others.

 

[DesertPT]

A main reason for switching away from med.......among many many many others.

That's really interesting. Were you actually in medical school when you decided to switch to PT, or at what point did you make that decision?

I've seen a few threads about PTs going to med school because they weren't satisfied with PT, but I haven't seen much about people going in the other direction.

 

[engmedpt]

PM'd you

 

[stive112]

My recommendation would be to hold off on studying. Enjoy your free time while you have it.

I completely agree. Once you start PT school you will wish you had some free time. You will have plenty of studying to do, just relax.

 

[Dragon416]

What do you think the best practice questions are for gross anatomy in written and practical tests. I found that the University of Michigan Medical School anatomy questions to be amazing. I also bought BRS Gross Anatomy. What are your recommendations and what worked best for you guys. Thanks!

 

[futuredpt01]

The unanimous recommendation in this thread / all our advice was to take it easy and relax before school starts, so I'm not particularly sure if your asking about before you begin class or during the semester... but if your talking about during the semester then the only things I read/studied were class lecture notes (ppt slides) / re-listened to the recordings of my lecturer. The majority of my exam questions came from what my professor actually expanded upon in class nothing really straight out of a textbook or notes, so it was important to either take really good notes during the lecture or go back and relisten to the recordings.

 

[NewTestament]

I bought BRS Anatomy and also Moore's Clinical Anatomy. They're excellent textbooks and I still refer to them. I would not recommend you spend too much time reviewing anatomy. You will have plenty of time to do that during your first term. My professor created a pre-anatomy course three months before I started and that helped. If your professor does not, don't worry.

 

[Dragon416]

I love studying anatomy and since I have nothing to do but wait I want to just have an awareness on the subject matter. My goal is not to only pass the class but to be a TA as well. Anatomy is a subject I love learning about and it never gets boring! I am not rigorously reviewing anatomy, just playing around with some flashcards to make time go faster until my program starts lol.

 

[aroszko]

I love studying anatomy and since I have nothing to do but wait I want to just have an awareness on the subject matter. My goal is not to only pass the class but to be a TA as well. Anatomy is a subject I love learning about and it never gets boring! I am not rigorously reviewing anatomy, just playing around with some flashcards to make time go faster until my program starts lol.

If you really have this much time I suggest getting a job and saving AS MUCH money as possible because working in PT school is very difficult. I see you want to be a TA, have you looked in to how much that entails during the semester? Not trying to deter you from doing it but just make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew.

 

[Dragon416]

If you really have this much time I suggest getting a job and saving AS MUCH money as possible because working in PT school is very difficult. I see you want to be a TA, have you looked in to how much that entails during the semester? Not trying to deter you from doing it but just make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew.

Not at all, I appreciate the opinion you have given me. I have been working at my family owned businesses to save up since I am paying out of pocket and if the whole TA thing doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be but that is my goal as of now.

 

[NewTestament]

I am not rigorously reviewing anatomy, just playing around with some flashcards to make time go faster until my program starts lol.

If that's all you're doing, fine, but don't read BRS Anatomy cover to cover under your covers with a flashlight!

 

[Dragon416]

If that's all you're doing, fine, but don't read BRS Anatomy cover to cover under your covers with a flashlight!

Lol now I can't say I wasn't thinking that! Thanks for the advice though!