Anatomy class tips and advice.

[eddie269]

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Ok guys, I am on the LAST stretch of my race. I quit my first career job back in Nov 2005 to go back to school to finish up my pre-req's for pharmacy (and to boost up my gpa of course). And now, I am finally taking my LAST pre-req in anatomy.

So far, it seems like the professor just wants us to "memorize everything." Well gee, we've only had 2 three hr. lectures and 2 two hr. labs and we have a 50 question quiz next week. I mean, there were at least 200 bold terms he went over. And got to memorize the bones, etc. Well, to summarize, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS CLASS! Should I just memorize every bold word in the book? I know I'm going to memorize the body parts and the bone names. What else do you focus on?


Lastly, there was a reason why I chose pharmacy over medical, optometry, and dental school. I CAN'T STAND BLOOD, cutting, liquids, and flesh! Well, I am obviously referring to the cadavers we have to deal with later on.

When I went to my first pharmacy interview 2 yrs ago, they gave us a tour of the PA's lab. And yes, I FORCED myself to go in there where they were dissecting cadavers. There were at least 20 cadavers lying around and I was kinda grossed out. But I spent a good 3 minutes looking at the student just cutting the crap put of a leg. AHHH!! Anyone else out there who was scared and disgusted like me and took anatomy? Any tips?

 

[dgroulx]

Anatomy is all about memorization. Learn all the bones, every bump on the bone, and all the muscles & where they originate & end. It's a boring class. There's no way around it. Everything was in latin. I just pretended that I was casting spells like Harry Potter. It actually helped.

 

[Chirj728]

There's no way around it. Everything was in latin. I just pretended that I was casting spells like Harry Potter. It actually helped.

AHAHAHAHAH That made me spill my coffee. Do you mind if I put that in my Sig?

 

[sdn1977]

Ok guys, I am on the LAST stretch of my race. I quit my first career job back in Nov 2005 to go back to school to finish up my pre-req's for pharmacy (and to boost up my gpa of course). And now, I am finally taking my LAST pre-req in anatomy.

So far, it seems like the professor just wants us to "memorize everything." Well gee, we've only had 2 three hr. lectures and 2 two hr. labs and we have a 50 question quiz next week. I mean, there were at least 200 bold terms he went over. And got to memorize the bones, etc. Well, to summarize, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS CLASS! Should I just memorize every bold word in the book? I know I'm going to memorize the body parts and the bone names. What else do you focus on?


Lastly, there was a reason why I chose pharmacy over medical, optometry, and dental school. I CAN'T STAND BLOOD, cutting, liquids, and flesh! Well, I am obviously referring to the cadavers we have to deal with later on.

When I went to my first pharmacy interview 2 yrs ago, they gave us a tour of the PA's lab. And yes, I FORCED myself to go in there where they were dissecting cadavers. There were at least 20 cadavers lying around and I was kinda grossed out. But I spent a good 3 minutes looking at the student just cutting the crap put of a leg. AHHH!! Anyone else out there who was scared and disgusted like me and took anatomy? Any tips?

eddie,

I'm assuming this anatomy class is not being taught in pharmacy school since you said it was a prerequisite. So...the focus is not pharmacy, it could be all the prehealth care students out there. Given that - the emphasis will be very broad.

As previous posters said - this class is about memorzation. You need to know the names of all the bones, ligaments, tendons & the point of origin of insertion & where their insertion is. Are you just doing the extremities right now? You need to know the vessels, muscles & again insertions.

Did you do the dissection or did someone else do it & you are looking at it? If you did the dissection, don't just study off your own cadaver. Generally, the anatomy exam will have the "best" of whatever area they are testing on - for example....your group may have completely screwed up dissecting out the vagus nerve...but...another group didn't. So...take the time to study all the cadavers.

Repetition is your friend here. Keep identifying structures until you can do them without fail & without spelling mistakes. At home...take a drawing of the leg, abdomen, chest cavity, whatever.....with all the structures on it - copy this from a book, but remove the labels. Make multiple copies of this. See if you can label each part completely with perfect spelling & do this with your breakfast, lunch & dinner (well...you wife might get ticked off at this, but you get the idea). Do it over and over & over again.

Usually...the way an anatomy exam works on an actual cadaver.....the professor or the ta has tied a string or otherwise "flagged" a structure - could be large like a bone or very small - like the ulnar nerve. You have to identify it. If your course is interrelated with a physiology course, they might ask you a question as to its function - ie does it abduct or adduct the muscle? If not, then its just an identifying thing.

Now...when it comes to pharmacy - why this? Well...when you have a pt suffering from trigeminal neuralgia & uses gabapentin & trileptal, you'll know exactly where that trigeminal nerve is. Or if you have a pt who had damage done to their vagus nerve & now has GI issues, you'll know why.

Its hard, but hang in there! Does that help?

 

[eddie269]

Thanks for the tips guys. I am very excited for this class b/c it's my last one. Not to mention I just finished 1 yr full of PHYSICS so I'm happy to finally study a subject I need.

Anyways, I haven't done any dissecting yet. Just microscope work in the lab. But yeah, I'll definitely use your advice. Anymore would be appreciated.

 

[aboveliquidice]

memory drills helped a whole lot. Both in the lab and for lecture. Are you taking strictly anatomy this semester and physiology next - or is it A & P combined? If it is just anatomy - I say do simple memory drills - over and over again. If you have physiology as well, I like to make stories of what is happenening - you would love my rendition of what happens during nerve muscle interaction. You really do have to know everything for A&P - give yourself plenty of time and you will do fine.

~above~

 

[Lurkerkat]

To study for Anatomy, I made notecards. Hundreds of notecards. When I have a lot of material to memorize I find it helps to first learn it by writing it all out again on cards and then going over them many, many times. Bring your cards with you if you know you have to do any waiting. Start making your cards well before the exam and look over them often.

For locating blood vessels, nerves, bone processes try to find an anatomy book in the library and photocopy the labeled diagrams and such. I would then make another copy but use a white piece of paper to cover up the labels and I would quiz myself and have the original copy as a key. Try drawing the structures yourself from memory also. During tests I would draw out various things before even looking at the first question so I could refer back to my own diagrams.

Also, I swear by mnenomic devices (the more vulgar and offensive, the better). I want to say there's a website that has a whole bunch of them. I will always remember the bones of the wrist with "Some Lovers Try Positions That They Can't Handle".

 

[Wordsworth301]

I studied by using the internet. There were a lot of websites to study for anatomy and it helped because you could highlight a muscle, bone, nerve, vessel, etc and it would tell you everything you needed to know about it...(origin, insertion, action, etc) We used cats in our lab but for some reason they were horribly preserved so I decided not to really use them to study for the practicals and I ended up getting an A anyway. I guess it depends on how you learn...I was never a flashcard type of student so just find out whatever works for you.

 

[dgroulx]

For good drawings that are well marked, check out Netter's. They are good to look at when studying.

 

[JGo]

I found Human A&P to be a very interesting series of courses. I am in A&PII right now and loving it. I think finding what you are learning interesting also aids in retaining what you study. I read what I need to memorize over and over out loud. Eventually it sticks like glue. Once it all gets in my head, I will state the term/body part/organ/ect. and then say everything that I know about that particular term. How it works? What's its function? Is it innervated? If so, by which nerve? ect. This way I know the information as opposed to memorizing it for the exam. 😀

Find a way of studying that works for you. I feel that A&P can be interesting if you don't look at it as a choir.

 

[PharmMnM]

I have a good memory so I only looked at the words once and its engraved in my head, ready to spit out on paper for the exam.