About to fail anatomy??

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chemicalX1

chemicalX1

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So I am a first year medical student, and I passed my first 2 classes with only 4-5% above the cutoff (70%).

Now I am in anatomy and I already failed the first two exams and now there is no way I can pass this class. I already talked to the learning specialist and I go to the tutors for help..but I am still unable to pass my exams.

Anyone else fail a class--how did you improve? If I already gone to the resources my school provides, how will the school view this? 🙁 Just feeling really depressed.
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If you fail most schools will have the option to let you retake anatomy over the summer and continue on with your class if you pass, or they might tell you to take next semester off and get your study habits down for when you come back with next years class. Either way they won't drop you for a first offense. I'd ask whoever is in academic affairs about your school specific options.
 
How have you been studying? What resources does your school provide that you've gone to? How does the school present the information to you?
 
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chemicalX1 said:
So I am a first year medical student, and I passed my first 2 classes with only 4-5% above the cutoff (70%).

Now I am in anatomy and I already failed the first two exams and now there is no way I can pass this class. I already talked to the learning specialist and I go to the tutors for help..but I am still unable to pass my exams.

Anyone else fail a class--how did you improve? If I already gone to the resources my school provides, how will the school view this? 🙁 Just feeling really depressed.
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It seems like you're really struggling and I'm sorry to hear that.

The first thing that should have already been done is your counselor should have contacted you. If not, they or your academic dean should have called you in for a meeting to discuss your options moving forward. It seems irresponsible for the school to simply allow a student to continue through a course he or she is guaranteed to fail without alerting the student and giving them viable options.

Regarding how to improve anatomy was one of my weakest courses and probably would still be if all of a sudden we had to learn a cow's anatomy for instance. For you, what parts are you failing? Anatomy is composed of the written and the practical and for me, those DID NOT go hand in hand. The written exams were always manageable (not great), but I legitimately failed my first practical by a point or so. If this is you, you need to go into lab and just ID structures. Do it on tons of bodies. If you suck at it like me, don't waste your time going into open lab when no one's round and suck it up and ask for help and then try to move along on your own.

Now if the written or both are the problem, then your weakness may not be poor visuospatial skills like me. If that is the case, I'll advise you to do what I tell everyone to do with any course. Write less, read more. Students including myself spend way too much time annotating and re-writing. If you are writing something, it better either be something that isn't in the notes that the prof said will be on the exam or it better be some form of a diagram to better organize/understand the material.

As for the consequences, only your school officials can get that sorted out for you. As someone else said, see if you can just retake Anatomy over the summer instead of repeating year which I feel may raise some eyebrows at competitive places.
 
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chemicalX1 said:
So I am a first year medical student, and I passed my first 2 classes with only 4-5% above the cutoff (70%).

Now I am in anatomy and I already failed the first two exams and now there is no way I can pass this class. I already talked to the learning specialist and I go to the tutors for help..but I am still unable to pass my exams.

Anyone else fail a class--how did you improve? If I already gone to the resources my school provides, how will the school view this? 🙁 Just feeling really depressed.
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check out the noted anatomist on youtube. those videos really helped me. draw things out, look at them in rohen, google UMich anatomy questions, hammer practice questions
 
68PGunner said:
Bro, low yield... Nobody got time for that stuff. I'm not going to kill myself for an extra 3-5% on my grade when I'm perfectly happy with my current grade on a subject that I grossly despise.
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I like the pun!
 
How do you study currently? I got much better at anatomy once I gave up the textbooks (too much stuff I didn't need to know) and focused on flashcards. With the textbooks, I was always behind but it might depend on your school.
 
futuremdforme said:
How do you study currently? I got much better at anatomy once I gave up the textbooks (too much stuff I didn't need to know) and focused on flashcards. With the textbooks, I was always behind but it might depend on your school.
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I just review my lecture notes and go in lab and identify structures. I don't have time to review things throughout the week because there is always new material to cover for that day...so I feel I am always behind.

Then I will review my notes over the weekend and it is hard to retain everything..🙁
 
chemicalX1 said:
I just review my lecture notes and go in lab and identify structures. I don't have time to review things throughout the week because there is always new material to cover for that day...so I feel I am always behind.

Then I will review my notes over the weekend and it is hard to retain everything..🙁
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Spaced repetition.

Anki, or whatever your poison of choice is. Make cards, get on a review schedule. There is no way to learn this amount of material without constant review from week to week.
 
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chemicalX1 said:
I just review my lecture notes and go in lab and identify structures. I don't have time to review things throughout the week because there is always new material to cover for that day...so I feel I am always behind.

Then I will review my notes over the weekend and it is hard to retain everything..🙁
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Will you get called out if you don't prepare ahead? I found it a waste of time. Skimming over lecture notes won't work, you really need to quiz yourself.
 
When you're on the wards and you're looking up some anatomy for whatever reason, you'll probably be glad that you put all those hours in because things make way more sense. Except origins and insertions, that stuff's still useless.
 
futuremdforme said:
Not there yet but it has to be! Anything with clinical applications is easier to remember and way more interesting, IMO.
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Haha yeah right. In my experience at least, anatomy was the easiest/simplest class of first year. It's a straight forward subject so you never question whether you're learning the right material or the right aspect of the material. I don't mean that everyone doesn't struggle through anatomy because it's still a toooon of new things to learn but you'll see when you move on to other courses.

Try Rohen's Atlas for extra lab studying. Also if you're at a school with NBME exams, try Firecracker (30day free trial), First Aid, BRS Anatomy, and group study the hell out of straight memorization.

Good luck!
 
I'm on the last part of this class right now with head and neck. I give zero f... about this class. I'm perfectly happy with my mid 80s. Honestly, the only reason this class is not fun bc we literally spend 4 hrs in the lab for 4 days a week learning jack except cutting garbage. When you add in my 1 hr commute time both way, that's more wasted time right there. Neuro can't be worse bc every minute spent will either be for active learning or creational activity. I'm ready for 20 hrs of lecture per week where I would only spend maybe 10-12 hrs on the material watching it at 2x speed.
 
medstu19 said:
Haha yeah right. In my experience at least, anatomy was the easiest/simplest class of first year. It's a straight forward subject so you never question whether you're learning the right material or the right aspect of the material. I don't mean that everyone doesn't struggle through anatomy because it's still a toooon of new things to learn but you'll see when you move on to other courses.

Try Rohen's Atlas for extra lab studying. Also if you're at a school with NBME exams, try Firecracker (30day free trial), First Aid, BRS Anatomy, and group study the hell out of straight memorization.

Good luck!
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Why are people talking about First Aid when it comes to anatomy? I have access to USMLERx and the 2016 First Aid book and there's literally nothing on anatomy.

The only way to do well in this lab is to actually go to the lab with buddies and pimp each other on the anatomies. Afterward, you tie everything up with concepts by doing brs and umich questions.
 
It helps if you can ask professors for help during your lab time. Anatomy is actually pretty easy if you actively learn it (constantly quiz yourself/have others quiz you and write down what you miss until you know everything). Just staring at notes and rewatching lectures isn't gonna do jack.
 
El-Rami said:
It helps if you can ask professors for help during your lab time. Anatomy is actually pretty easy if you actively learn it (constantly quiz yourself/have others quiz you and write down what you miss until you know everything). Just staring at notes and rewatching lectures isn't gonna do jack.
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Nope, my professor doesn't tell me jack in lab and in class. I find his review sessions and lectures to be straight garbage. For that reason, I don't like him a lot and stop asking him questions. I actually do 70% of my learning by reading brs. The other 20-30% is from mock practicals, and ta tutorials in class. In term of pace and learning technique, I'm a pretty independent learner. I have 100 pages of brs for head and neck that I need to plow through in the next 3 days right now. The professors are straight up worthless and my classmates are feeling the same way. Class and lab attendance have dropped by 50% in the past two weeks. The gunners who don't cut jack in lab and just go table to table learning the materials from TAs are whining about how there are 0 bodies to learn right now.

Maybe I am just having a really bad experience with this class.
 
68PGunner said:
I'm on the last part of this class right now with head and neck. I give zero f... about this class. I'm perfectly happy with my mid 80s. Honestly, the only reason this class is not fun bc we literally spend 4 hrs in the lab for 4 days a week learning jack except cutting garbage. When you add in my 1 hr commute time both way, that's more wasted time right there. Neuro can't be worse bc every minute spent will either be for active learning or creational activity. I'm ready for 20 hrs of lecture per week where I would only spend maybe 10-12 hrs on the material watching it at 2x speed.
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you are a gunner...commuting 1 hr both way is cray...esp for a med student...ain't nobody got time for that.
 
OP, what works for me is doing nothing but passive learning/previewing during the week, and then on weekends spending 5-6 hours a day actively memorizing all of the notes you made/things you previewed during the week.

Also, yes, lab is a huge waste of time. But on the weekends, try to go in for 2-3 hours if you can with a group or a buddy.
 
68PGunner said:
Nope, my professor doesn't tell me jack in lab and in class. I find his review sessions and lectures to be straight garbage. For that reason, I don't like him a lot and stop asking him questions. I actually do 70% of my learning by reading brs. The other 20-30% is from mock practicals, and ta tutorials in class. In term of pace and learning technique, I'm a pretty independent learner. I have 100 pages of brs for head and neck that I need to plow through in the next 3 days right now. The professors are straight up worthless and my classmates are feeling the same way. Class and lab attendance have dropped by 50% in the past two weeks. The gunners who don't cut jack in lab and just go table to table learning the materials from TAs are whining about how there are 0 bodies to learn right now.

Maybe I am just having a really bad experience with this class.
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Well, that's unfortunate. In your case, you're probably screwed. Also, going table to table during lab hours is a great way to learn the material, and it doesn't hurt anybody (in terms of people not doing dissections, etc.) as long as your school has incentives to keep people working. For head and neck, I recommend writing down all the branches of the major arteries and the actions of the cranial nerves. BRS is pretty high yield, but it reads too much like a textbook for my taste. I only used it as a supplement to my lectures. Lectures and questions (UMich) were my major sources of learning, not BRS. BRS is great for getting clinical information, though (along with the questions in the back + UMich).
 
Lol @ the annoying med students who come into this thread like omg anatomy is so easy/fun when OP is clearly struggling with the course and came here for support.

OP this course blows and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I'm doing pretty well in this class and I still hate it and struggle to feel prepared for exams. The only thing worse than slaving over memorizing a ton of structures we'll soon forget is wasting precious hours every week shaving fat, but anatomy is the gift of both.

Green Grey's, Anki, and Essential Anatomy have helped me a lot. I don't feel like my study habits for this course are the best to copy though because I still feel like I'm making educated guesses on my quizzes/exams. Sorry I couldn't help more, but please know that you aren't alone in feeling frustrated with this course.
 
I dunno fam, I kinda like Anatomy. I try to keep in mind that this is a once in a lifetime experience and i'll probably not have a chance to dissect a cadaver again. Lab sucks, for sure, but coming in on weekends and pinning stuff while listening to music is pretty okay.
 
Did anyone do really well on the anatomy practical without spending any extra time in the anatomy lab? I want to just learn from Rohen's Atlas and UMich...
 
Foot Fetish said:
Did anyone do really well on the anatomy practical without spending any extra time in the anatomy lab? I want to just learn from Rohen's Atlas and UMich...
Click to expand...

UMich and others are great for learning the stuff when you know nothing, but to do well on practicals you really need to see, touch, smell, taste, etc. over and over again.
 
Azete said:
UMich and others are great for learning the stuff when you know nothing, but to do well on practicals you really need to see, touch, smell, taste, etc. over and over again.
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You lost me at "taste"

*shudder* :vomit:

lol
 
It may have changed since it did anatomy in 1973, but, at that time, there was nothing to "learn" or "understand". It was all just rote memorization. Lots of it to
be sure, but nothing more. That is the case with the vast majority of medical school.
All the learning and understanding "heavy lifting" was done in undergrad mathematics, chemistry, physics, etc.
 
futuremdforme said:
Will you get called out if you don't prepare ahead? I found it a waste of time. Skimming over lecture notes won't work, you really need to quiz yourself.
Click to expand...

Skimming over lectures works for some like myself. I found it tedious and too much time consuming to make flashcards when I could be walking around visualizing the material in my head and making drawings. If you're a visual learner that's a good way to go about with anatomy. Going to lab once you've gone over the material further helps establish spatial awareness of the body.
 
Foot Fetish said:
Did anyone do really well on the anatomy practical without spending any extra time in the anatomy lab? I want to just learn from Rohen's Atlas and UMich...
Click to expand...

Usually I'd spend a day or two (1-2 hour sessions) prior to a practical to go over the structures. I think it's important to go to anatomy lab after hours.
 
Foot Fetish said:
Did anyone do really well on the anatomy practical without spending any extra time in the anatomy lab? I want to just learn from Rohen's Atlas and UMich...
Click to expand...

Rohen's really is helpful for testing yourself before the exam, but I find Netters and Acland's (if you have access) are by far the best resources for learning. Aside from the first practical where I spent a TON of time in lab (which didn't seem to benefit me much at all), I've maybe spent 3-6 extra hours total before the next two practicals running through checklists and have done really well with that strategy. I've found knowing Netter's cold with a bit of practice to back it up is your best bet. I use UMich and Upstate for areas I'm rough on, however the pictures sometimes don't give you enough landmarks. In theory, if you go into lab everyday having looked ahead at Netters, you should come out fairly confident. Do look at other bodies, especially the "prime" examples. Get your peers to teach you on other bodies during the lab period if you can. And ask how they'll tag the more ambiguous things. Sometimes just knowing how they'll tag something saves you a lot of trouble.
 
Yeah. I got like 92 on a practical without going in after really. I just kept quizing myself on my anatomy 3d app.

Edit: You could probably do the same with an atlas. Just cover up all the names until you can call them out cold.


Foot Fetish said:
Did anyone do really well on the anatomy practical without spending any extra time in the anatomy lab? I want to just learn from Rohen's Atlas and UMich...
Click to expand...
 
Azete said:
UMich and others are great for learning the stuff when you know nothing, but to do well on practicals you really need to see, touch, smell, taste, etc. over and over again.
Click to expand...

You know you've spent enough time in lab when you go out for a bite and can taste the formaldehyde. Glad I'm done with gross.
 
Surprised no one mentioned netters flash cards. Those were awesome. Coloring book was OK.

For practicals there is no replacement for lab, period. Even if you know nothing, you should go to lab and follow students who know how to identify. They teach you, you go over it enough times till you teach others. Then you are ready for the practical.
 
ncide said:
You know you've spent enough time in lab when you go out for a bite and can taste the formaldehyde. Glad I'm done with gross.
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It does stimulate your appetite
I've had some formaldehyde in my mouth after it's been all over the patient
Not intentionally of course
 
The current me wishes he could punch my naive pre-med self in the face for ever being excited about cadaver lab. Anatomy is pure misery
 
ncide said:
Skimming over lectures works for some like myself. I found it tedious and too much time consuming to make flashcards when I could be walking around visualizing the material in my head and making drawings. If you're a visual learner that's a good way to go about with anatomy. Going to lab once you've gone over the material further helps establish spatial awareness of the body.
Click to expand...
That's awesome! I'm visual but terrible with spacial awareness. Even in answering my own flashcards, I write the answers down because trying to visualize it in my head isn't sufficient. That's excellent that it works well for you -- I'm super jealous.
 
Can anyone recommend a good photographic atlas? I've essentially memorized Thieme's muscle diagrams, but when I get into lab everythings dull and pastey and the arteries aren't neon red. I'm trying to quiz myself with flascards, so if possible, i'd like it to have some degree of context.

I've looked into: [ http://www.thebodyonline.net/body_view.php?category=upperlimb ] which I like, but a number of the muscles are too zoomed in and I can't get the same sense of region that I could easily get from a cadaver in practical.



People keep saying to go into lab on my off time, which i've done and isn't horrible, but the problem is that nothing is labeled. I just have to guess, and the textbooks are helpful, but not that helpful. I can't be sure if something I can't find was maimed by the other group or not. Even if we have a great example of all the muscles one day, we come in the next day and the lab is: "lol reflect all the hard work you did yesterday to go deeper :laugh::laugh::vomit::laugh::laugh:".

During lab time, if we ask a professor a question, they spend 20 minutes lecturing on the material instead of just going "here, this is the pronator teres, this is the flexor carpi radialis; you can tell the difference by X; bye". Not to mention they're alotted a number of tables so 4/5 of the time they're lecturing at another table who asked a yes/no question. I don't feel like a could learn in lab if I tried.
 
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3characterslong said:
Can anyone recommend a good photographic atlas? I've essentially memorized Thieme's muscle diagrams, but when I get into lab everythings dull and pastey and the arteries aren't neon red. I'm trying to quiz myself with flascards, so if possible, i'd like it to have some degree of context.

I've looked into: [ http://www.thebodyonline.net/body_view.php?category=upperlimb ] which I like, but a number of the muscles are too zoomed in and I can't get the same sense of region that I could easily get from a cadaver in practical.



People keep saying to go into lab on my off time, which i've done and isn't horrible, but the problem is that nothing is labeled. I just have to guess, and the textbooks are helpful, but not that helpful. I can't be sure if something I can't find was maimed by the other group or not. Even if we have a great example of all the muscles one day, we come in the next day and the lab is: "lol reflect all the hard work you did yesterday to go deeper :laugh::laugh::vomit::laugh::laugh:".

During lab time, if we ask a professor a question, they spend 20 minutes lecturing on the material instead of just going "here, this is the pronator teres, this is the flexor carpi radialis; you can tell the difference by X; bye". Not to mention they're alotted a number of tables so 4/5 of the time they're lecturing at another table who asked a yes/no question. I don't feel like a could learn in lab if I tried.
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Anatomy: A Photographic Atlas (Color Atlas of Anatomy a Photographic Study of the Human Body)

by rohen.

this for sure. they make flashcards too but i just use the book

in the book, the structures are labeled with numbers so you can quiz yourself by guessing the numbers and then looking at the key. but do that after you finish studying your lectures and thieme. you should somewhat understand the relations by then

hypothetically, if you search around in spiderwebs, all kinds of webs really, you can find a copy


arm muscles were definitely the hardest for me to learn. i failed that practical but have gotten~89% on my practicals since then

before our first test, the upperclassman kept telling us scrubs that "it is what you think it is"

i didn't know what they meant by that until i saw the answers for our first practical
 
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ncide said:
Skimming over lectures works for some like myself. I found it tedious and too much time consuming to make flashcards when I could be walking around visualizing the material in my head and making drawings. If you're a visual learner that's a good way to go about with anatomy. Going to lab once you've gone over the material further helps establish spatial awareness of the body.
Click to expand...
Same here. I actually tried to make flashcards, but only did it once and it never crossed my mind to do it again.
Repeating the visualization is what works for me, and by the time I'm done with that, flashcards become unnecessary.
I think ( seeing my classmates ) , that many of them don't spend time with visualization. Not everyone is a visual learner, but I think many of them would find out that they are, if they would at least try to visualize the structures over and over again - because even though I'm a visual learner, I also need to re-watch a structure ten times before I memorize it in my head.
Watch the atlas - visualize in your mind - watch the atlas - visualize - watch the atlas - .....x10000 ( This might seem exhausting, but it actually does wonders to your visual memory )
 
I effing hated going to anatomy lab. Our practicals are worth less than 10% of our grade. The formaldehyde made me dizzy so I'd ditch them and ensured I got the anatomy on our written exams.
 
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