Anatomy Problemz

[dartmed]

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Is anatomy this much of a hassle and hard-work? We are five weeks in and we have taken two exams. I flunked my first test (53.4%), but I passed my second test (68%). I am currently marginalizing the course, but we still have two tests available. I would need a 70 on each to safely pass the course.

I literally feel like I don't have the chops to make it in medical school sometimes. I have never taken Anatomy before and I am always in the bottom 1/3rd of the class, which is really discouraging. I am having a hard time figuring out how to study for this course, but I think I have slowly been getting better.

Does anyone else feel this way? I feel so overwhelmed with this class. Ugh.

 

[Arkangeloid]

Yeah I'm usually scraping the bottom of the class too in Anatomy, though I do fine in my other classes. I'm passing though.

Just got a bit left to go and then we're free...unless we fail and then we have to repeat this crap.

 

[dartmed]

That's great to hear. I just don't think Anatomy is my cup of tea...

 

[loveoforganic2]

Short answer: Yes, other people feel that way. Given your borderlineness, I would definitely talk with someone at your school about the possibility of tutoring. Our school had students who were excelling tutor those who were failing/borderline failing. The TA's also offered group tutoring (paid). It is very beneficial to have someone walk you through what you're looking at on a body. It is also way more efficient and less suicide-inducingly frustrating than trying to identify stuff for yourself (though you should still do that once it's shown to you).

 

[tantacles]

Just pass.

 

[Textbookversion]

It can be very overwhelming. I did poorly in anatomy at first but I turned it around. You've just gotta put in the time every single day. Find blank diagrams from netter online, print them out, and practice filling them in. Do flashcards like anki for each structure. Read through your slides. Go to lab and run through your list of structures over and over. Do practice questions from BRS.

Anatomy takes TIME. That's what is going to make you succeed. I spend probably 2-3 hours total studying per hour of lecture of any other class. Anatomy was more like 8-10 hours. It's just the reality. You need to kick it into the next gear.

If it makes you feel better, as school progresses the classes get a lot more interesting.

 

[Erythropoietin]

well.. welcome to medical school
people rarely get 100s so dont feel discouraged.
know Netter well and find some case questions online and you're good to go.

at the end of the day you have to ask yourself, did you really put all you got on the floor, all the effort, and got that score? or did you slack off or got lazy a little and got that score?

 

[dartmed]

I really hope I am not going to fail. That said, I think I need to spend more time in lab and keep-up with the material better. Here's to hoping for a better crossing the 70s on this upcoming test!!! If I improved 15 percentage points between the first and the second tests, I think I can push myself and improve 5 more percentage points for this test!! Whoohooooo!!!

 

[Frazier]

If you didn't say already:

what regions do you still have remaining?
are these test grades inclusive of both written and practicals?
what online anatomy prep materials are you using?

 

[Geebeejay]

What are you doing each day to prepare? Might be helpful if you post a synopsis of your daily study routine for Anatomy so others can chime in on whether or not you are doing something wrong.

 

[Planes2Doc]

It's kind of funny that the canvas we paint on is the human body, yet a good majority of medical students dread anatomy like no other. In fact, whenever I heard someone say that they love anatomy, I wanted to punch them in the face.

Now if only it was more clinically relevant and less minutiae. There's no easy way around it. It's just one big **** storm that you need to go through.

 

[yehhhboiii]

It's kind of funny that the canvas we paint on is the human body, yet a good majority of medical students dread anatomy like no other. In fact, whenever I heard someone say that they love anatomy, I wanted to punch them in the face.

Now if only it was more clinically relevant and less minutiae. There's no easy way around it. It's just one big **** storm that you need to go through.

i think it's also that there's not enough time and too much crap to go through
i dont know why they bother testing things like origins and insertions because i forgot those before i even took the test

 

[VisionaryTics]

It's kind of funny that the canvas we paint on is the human body, yet a good majority of medical students dread anatomy like no other. In fact, whenever I heard someone say that they love anatomy, I wanted to punch them in the face.

Now if only it was more clinically relevant and less minutiae. There's no easy way around it. It's just one big **** storm that you need to go through.

You'll realize on surgery how much minutia you DIDN'T cover.

 

[dartmed]

If you didn't say already:

what regions do you still have remaining?
are these test grades inclusive of both written and practicals?
what online anatomy prep materials are you using?

We went through upper limb and head/neck. Now, we are on the thorax/abdomen. It's going much better than head/neck.

I think my biggest problem is that I didn't know how to study. I sort of figured it out last test, but now I think I am getting better at it.

In terms of what I am doing now, I listen to lectures when I get back home - take detailed notes. Started piecing things together from different components of lectures from previous days (i.e. embryology and living anatomy - which consists of clinical examination skills). And then, I start thinking about clinical applications. If I had a stab wound here, what would happen? How would it look like on an X-ray or CT or MRI scan? What might be the presenting symptoms if I lacerate this nerve?

I have also just discovered BRS for Anatomy. Holy mother, it is SO HELPFUL.

I didn't do any practice questions for the last two tests. Now, I am going through BRS questions and COA questions online.

And then, I go into lab at the end of the day. Usually, I save lab until the weekends because it's a way for me to piece everything together.

I think last time I didn't get a chance to go through some labs and that's I missed the most. And clinical applications for embryology were the other things that I missed.

Hopefully, keeping-up with this is going to help me. The test questions are SO DIFFICULT. And I start burning-out after 4 hours of testing. Ugh. For the first test, I didn't go through the material. For the second test, I ran out of time, didn't do enough practice, made stupid mistakes, and didn't go through some of the labs as I wanted to. And didn't spend enough time practicing my clinical skills.

 

[DrEnderW]

I suggest Gray's Review to supplement BRS if you still want more questions. A few days before, do some questions as a practice test and gauge where you are at. The answer explanations alone are very helpful.

 

[ericksonj15]

.

 

[Little Soldier]

Is anatomy this much of a hassle and hard-work? We are five weeks in and we have taken two exams. I flunked my first test (53.4%), but I passed my second test (68%). I am currently marginalizing the course, but we still have two tests available. I would need a 70 on each to safely pass the course.

I literally feel like I don't have the chops to make it in medical school sometimes. I have never taken Anatomy before and I am always in the bottom 1/3rd of the class, which is really discouraging. I am having a hard time figuring out how to study for this course, but I think I have slowly been getting better.

Does anyone else feel this way? I feel so overwhelmed with this class. Ugh.

my routine, never fails

go to youtube, type in human anatomy dissection - search for the one you need, watch it get a hang of the area, then use netters, then use moores to fill in the blanks, then go watch the video again. usually takes me about 2-3 hours for a weeks worth of anatomy and it stays with you for a while, a quick brush over it every now and then and youre good. but you might learn it differently to me

 

[Arkangeloid]

Yeah I'm usually scraping the bottom of the class too in Anatomy, though I do fine in my other classes. I'm passing though.

Just got a bit left to go and then we're free...unless we fail and then we have to repeat this crap.

Well, speak of the devil!

 

[Kaustikos]

Well, speak of the devil!

If you have to just retake the final, it's not bad at all. I hope your school is like that instead of having you take the course again. My school calls remediation "relearning the material". You can try to attend classes/get a prof or TA to help, but you can also self-study. Students did significantly better when they self-studied. You get more time for the final and less stress with other courses.


**** anatomy. I gladly took a pass in that course. Don't beat yourself up over the grade. The hard work does pay off because when you get back into studying anatomy for Step 1/etc, it's easier.

 

[dextor2003]

If you have to just retake the final, it's not bad at all. I hope your school is like that instead of having you take the course again. My school calls remediation "relearning the material". You can try to attend classes/get a prof or TA to help, but you can also self-study. Students did significantly better when they self-studied. You get more time for the final and less stress with other courses.


**** anatomy. I gladly took a pass in that course. Don't beat yourself up over the grade. The hard work does pay off because when you get back into studying anatomy for Step 1/etc, it's easier.

This is my concern, not just for anatomy, but for everything. I'm working my butt off, but always seem to get the class average. On our first anatomy test I somehow did well, but on our 2nd one, back to average. I've tried using different study strategies, just don't know what's going on. I'm worried if I'm doing poorly now, then that'll reflect on my Step 1 too...sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread..

 

[Frazier]

This is my concern, not just for anatomy, but for everything. I'm working my butt off, but always seem to get the class average. On our first anatomy test I somehow did well, but on our 2nd one, back to average. I've tried using different study strategies, just don't know what's going on. I'm worried if I'm doing poorly now, then that'll reflect on my Step 1 too...sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread..

What makes you think that scoring at the class average in medical school is "doing poorly"?

Have you sat down and really reflected on the population of people you are comparing yourself to?

I guess this depends on the school(?)... Maybe I'm the only person on SDN in this scenario, but at my institution scoring at the average says that you're a pretty bright individual.

 

[dextor2003]

What makes you think that scoring at the class average in medical school is "doing poorly"?

Have you sat down and really reflected on the population of people you are comparing yourself to?

I guess this depends on the school(?)... Maybe I'm the only person on SDN in this scenario, but at my institution scoring at the average says that you're a pretty bright individual.

Well the averages for each of our biochem exams were 83, and the average for the second anatomy exam was 78...personally, I'd consider that kind of low..

 

[Frazier]

Well the averages for each of our biochem exams were 83, and the average for the second anatomy exam was 78...personally, I'd consider that kind of low..

Seasoned med school professors apparently have a pretty good ability of creating exams that render a particular class average.

For example, before every exam, someone routinely asks "how did last year's class do on this upcoming exam?"

Every time the professor says, "they had an average of XX%, but this will be a different exam...that said, I expect the average to be around XY% give or take a couple points."

Every time, he's been more or less on the mark with his prediction.

It's pretty easy to control in a class of med students compared to undergrads. We're med students -- everyone is going to get the easy questions, nearly everyone is going to get the medium questions, many will get the hard questions, and the "gunners" will get the extreme questions... In other words, likely since almost everyone in the class does a decent amount of studying, they control the score by the number of curveball/100th-order questions they include in the exam.

Long story short, if your class average is 78%, your professor most likely wants the average to be around a 78%.

 

[dextor2003]

Seasoned med school professors apparently have a pretty good ability of creating exams that render a particular class average.

For example, before every exam, someone routinely asks "how did last year's class do on this upcoming exam?"

Every time the professor says, "they had an average of XX%, but this will be a different exam...that said, I expect the average to be around XY% give or take a couple points."

Every time, he's been more or less on the mark with his prediction.

It's pretty easy to control in a class of med students compared to undergrads. We're med students -- everyone is going to get the easy questions, nearly everyone is going to get the medium questions, many will get the hard questions, and the "gunners" will get the extreme questions... In other words, likely since almost everyone in the class does a decent amount of studying, they control the score by the number of curveball/100th-order questions they include in the exam.

Long story short, if your class average is 78%, your professor most likely wants the average to be around a 78%.

I guess that makes sense...I'm just still worried what it would mean in terms of Step 1 performance..if anything at all =/

 

[evilbooyaa]

I guess that makes sense...I'm just still worried what it would mean in terms of Step 1 performance..if anything at all =/

There is no way to know what a class average on a med school exam will translate into Step 1 knowledge. Unless your school uses NBMEs exclusively.

 

[dartmed]

I ended-up passing the course, but school does z-score, so I got a marginal (1.5 standard deviations below the average). I am so upset about it that I am crying. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. Ugh. I really wish I had some anatomy background before I walked-in to Anatomy. :/

 

[Frazier]

I ended-up passing the course, but school does z-score, so I got a marginal (1.5 standard deviations below the average). I am so upset about it that I am crying. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. Ugh. I really wish I had some anatomy background before I walked-in to Anatomy. :/

Congrats on passing.

Your "marginal" doesn't matter much in the big scheme of things and down the road you're going to laugh at yourself when you reflect on how worked up you got.

Again, congrats on passing.

 

[mdtobe249]

i would definitely say just do your best, try new methods if old ones aren't working, and strive to pass because whether you passed with flying colors or just made it through won't make much of a difference later on. BRS is definitely helpful as a couple people have mentioned, but also I think most helpful was reviewing things in atlases first to understand things theoretically and then going to lab and solidifying it there.

 

[tantacles]

I ended-up passing the course, but school does z-score, so I got a marginal (1.5 standard deviations below the average). I am so upset about it that I am crying. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. Ugh. I really wish I had some anatomy background before I walked-in to Anatomy. :/

In other words, you PASSED! That's all that matters.

 

[notbobtrustme]

I ended-up passing the course, but school does z-score, so I got a marginal (1.5 standard deviations below the average). I am so upset about it that I am crying. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. Ugh. I really wish I had some anatomy background before I walked-in to Anatomy. :/

To be honest, no one cares about your pre-clinicl grades except your mom. Passing is the most important thing. Anatomy is also one of the most difficult classes you'll take in med school. And having an anatomy background probably wouldn't have done much for your grade.

Sit back, relax, grab a beer (or 10) and enjoy the fact that you passed.

 

[dartmed]

That's what I keep hearing, but it's so disgruntling to see a MP instead of a P on my transcript. I guess I need to get like a HP or H on this one to boost my last one. Crossing my fingers.

 

[SilverCat]

A background in anatomy is not that helpful; I have a background in anatomy (lecture-based course in college by a med school anatomy prof), and it still takes me seven hours to get through one lecture--I remember literally nothing from that other course. Between anatomy and embryology, I literally do nothing apart from studying every day.

 

[Nephronlearner]

I ended-up passing the course, but school does z-score, so I got a marginal (1.5 standard deviations below the average). I am so upset about it that I am crying. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. Ugh. I really wish I had some anatomy background before I walked-in to Anatomy. :/

You are crying because of passing anatomy? Crying caused by happiness, I hope.
You don't know what to do with your life any more?
How about... go pass another course? I sincerely hope the purpose of your life wasn't to honor anatomy...

Seriously, anatomy is maybe the single hardest pre-clinical course. Neuroscience is tough, lots of memorization, so is microbiology but I doubt there is ever going to be a subject that requires as many hours as anatomy so... I'd go celebrate if I were you. When I got my C in anatomy, I made barbecue for friends, lol 😛

 

[dartmed]

Hey everyone, thanks for the moral support during my Anatomy days. As it turned-out, Anatomy was not my cup of tea. I ended-up at the top end of my class during my Cellular Processes core and it seems like I have adjusted to the demands of medical school. So for anyone who has struggled with Anatomy, just know that you are not alone and that things will get better.

 

[LebLlama]

On the first anatomy test I got a 58% as well. I just didn't know how to study. I freaked out big time but I kept at it and found my groove. Repetition and mnemonics are key. I raised tests scores thereafter to 85%, 79%, 73%

I also rocked all the practicals so I ended up with an 82% in the class.