2 weeks to learn it

[rmaj79]

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Head and Neck anatomy. I know there was a similar post here about head and neck recently so I figured other people might be in a similar boat...

I'm really stressing about our last test on H&N because we have 2 weeks from today to learn everything. I'm not a spatial learner by any means and all this 3D stuff is racking my brain; my strategy so far has been, highlight the book, spend a little time in lab and watching Acland, draw out schematics of n/a/v pathways and spend the majority of time on memorizing concepts from Gray's Review Questions and Pretest Anatomy (which are both Pretty close to our written exams).

What would you SDN geniuses recommend to tackle this material? I'm thinking of making a few Excel charts and diagrams to work off of (e.g. Cranial nerves table, sensory nerve supply diagrams) but I am worried that won't really provide enough understanding to nail the test. And by nail I mean pass with a 70.

Any advice?

 

[Isoprop]

We just took our head and neck exam here. I did fairly well considering I didn't really study too hard for it. But my strategy has been the same: course notes + Netters + Review Book.

The "lecture" material isn't too bad--the pathways, muscles, neurovasculature, etc. is actually pretty straight forward. If your Anatomy course integrates embryology, even that isn't too bad compared to the rest of Anatomy.

On the other hand, the lab practical is killer though since all the structures are small and it's a very tiny/busy place. Don't underestimate the value of lab time, you would not believe what gets tagged on the practical. Spend plenty of time with the skull and some pipecleaners. And definitely go through the individual skull bones. Foramen rotundum looks different in a whole skull vs on the sphenoid bone.

 

[Morsetlis]

Which review book?

 

[Isoprop]

I bought HY and I checked out BRS from the library.

I prefer HY because it's very stripped down and less details. It gives me a good preview for the lecture and gives you the bottom line for all the clinical stuff.

BRS is very detailed, and I would rather go through my course notes. But it has questions at the end of each chapter, which are pretty challenging. I heard it's great for the shelf if your school uses that.

 

[CaptainSSO]

On the other hand, the lab practical is killer though since all the structures are small and it's a very tiny/busy place. Don't underestimate the value of lab time, you would not believe what gets tagged on the practical. Spend plenty of time with the skull and some pipecleaners. And definitely go through the individual skull bones. Foramen rotundum looks different in a whole skull vs on the sphenoid bone.

I was actually hoping the practical would be easier for head and neck--the thing that threw me off more than anything was when they'd turn the bodies in different directions (twisting the arms, etc.). There's only so many ways they can turn the head...

But I guess I'll find out real soon.

 

[Phlame217]

My advice for H&N or anything else anatomy.

Learn it like a road map
Start the closest to the heart for the blood supply, memorize each branch, trunk, etc as if you were driving towards its most distal point. Remember key landmarks such as where it pierces a muscle, crosses a nerve or whatnot.

I learned in netters first and got my "road map" and then applied to cadavers and rohens to get it on real bodies. I then filled in class notes and HY information to get the complete picture.

 

[Isoprop]

I was actually hoping the practical would be easier for head and neck--the thing that threw me off more than anything was when they'd turn the bodies in different directions (twisting the arms, etc.). There's only so many ways they can turn the head...

But I guess I'll find out real soon.

Nope, the same problem exists with the head and neck. Well, I guess it depends on how you guys do the dissection. For instance, the intraocular muscles and nerves look different from a superior view looking down vs a medial view looking lateral. We also had to dissect out the pterygopalentine fossa from the outside (dissecting it out from the side of the head) and the inside (from the nasal cavity). The pharynx and larynx muscles had a bunch of different views too (from the inside, from behind, and in front).

 

[Rocher]

On the other hand, the lab practical is killer though since all the structures are small and it's a very tiny/busy place. Don't underestimate the value of lab time, you would not believe what gets tagged on the practical. Spend plenty of time with the skull and some pipecleaners. And definitely go through the individual skull bones. Foramen rotundum looks different in a whole skull vs on the sphenoid bone.

I'm not sure spending lots of time in lab is efficient for head and neck. The problem is, you will spend a ton of time just dissecting out the structures when you could be studying Rohen's and Netter's.

Biggest advice I can give is to know your relationships, that way if you don't know the tagged structure, you can look around it and find structures you do know, then make an educated guess.

 

[rmaj79]

I learned in netters first and got my "road map" and then applied to cadavers and rohens to get it on real bodies. I then filled in class notes and HY information to get the complete picture.

Thanks for the input, I hear what you guys are saying and I totally agree (so far from what I can tell) with most of you- it's all about the relationships. Phlame I think we probably study the same way, in terms of understanding the non-3D schematic first and applying it, rather than the other way around.

We just got our bone boxes with skulls so at the end of every day I'll definitely try to find everything I worked on like you guys said. The Gray's Textbook definitely lays it all out but it's hard to conceptualize it without talking through an actual skull. Definitely got some strange looks going to Walmart on Saturday night to buy a 6-pack of IPA and neon pipe cleaners...

I have found for previous blocks that Gray's Review Questiosn and Pretest were gold (along w/ HY during review)... would the same go for H&N or do you guys recommend something else too? I know someone mentioned BRS.

Thanks again guys (and gals?)

 

[Isoprop]

I'm not sure spending lots of time in lab is efficient for head and neck. The problem is, you will spend a ton of time just dissecting out the structures when you could be studying Rohen's and Netter's.

Biggest advice I can give is to know your relationships, that way if you don't know the tagged structure, you can look around it and find structures you do know, then make an educated guess.

I'm not talking about dissection. I'm talking about reviewing your donors during lab time or outside of class. Rohen/Netter won't have every view that you need to know. With the other sections like upper extremity, thorax, abdomen, etc. you could get away with Rohen for the practical. But I found head and neck to be challenging because all the structures are small and the different perspectives of the same structure can be confusing.