How to study for Gross Anatomy?

[TexasTriathlete]

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I'm the same way with some of this stuff, although I came into med school knowing all the general terminology, and some of the musculoskeletal stuff (background in strength and conditioning). But a lot of it is totally foreign to me too. The only real strategy I've found is: keep grinding away. Read it over and over and over until it clicks.

Having the bones, or fake bones, in front of you, can help a lot with the attachments and stuff. And use multiple resources too. Read everything in Netter's to learn where its all supposed to be, then look in Rohen's to see what it really looks like, then try and find it on your own cadaver, which is the kind of ****ed up model that they're probably going to use for your practical.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

I just opened up my copy of Netter and I am freaking out.....
any tips?

First thing you gotta do is talk to your second and third years and see what you have to do for this course. Everyone on this thread is giving advice that worked for them, in their respective schools. You may have to do something completely different. I for one, opened up Netters very occasionally. Who knows, it might not be useful for your class either.

 

[Bartelby]

The only real strategy I've found is: keep grinding away. Read it over and over and over until it clicks.

Good advice. Also, it helps me to think of everything I am learning in relation to everything else. For instance, in the forearm a lot of the muscles and veins are "ulnar something" or "radial something" because they are near the ulna or radius, and they are "extensor" or "flexor" because of the motion they cause, etc. Also "axillary" (near the armpit), "brachial" (in the arm), other terms like that. Look for landmarks (like the brachialis muscle) and try to fill in from there. In the end, though, I think repeated exposure is your best bet for long term memory.

 

[Jolie South]

Good advice. Also, it helps me to think of everything I am learning in relation to everything else. For instance, in the forearm a lot of the muscles and veins are "ulnar something" or "radial something" because they are near the ulna or radius, and they are "extensor" or "flexor" because of the motion they cause, etc. Also "axillary" (near the armpit), "brachial" (in the arm), other terms like that. Look for landmarks (like the brachialis muscle) and try to fill in from there. In the end, though, I think repeated exposure is your best bet for long term memory.

I listen to lecture and try to read Gray's for a general overview before lab. Then, I get there and see it on my (or someone else's more muscular) cadaver. After that, I try to look at flashcards and memorize while thinking about clinical correlations. Going in on the weekends by myself helps me cement that I know where stuff is and what it does.

It sounds like a lot, but I spend an hour on each of the abovementioned activities.

Also, don't underestimate mnemonics. They are super useful.

• longus brevis longus brevis longus for the 5 most radial extensors
• PAD DAB for the functions of the interossei
• some lovers try positions that they can't handle for the bones of the wrist
• brachoradialis is the beer drinking muscle (i.e. flexion while semipronated)

The dirtier they are, the better they'll stick in your brain too.

 

[Mr. Tee]

Sometimes knowing the embryology behind it helps.

 

[medguy83]

Try making flash cards. Netter has some pretty good index cards to go by. All in all I think your dissector, netters text, and your cadaver are all you need. Of course you should supplement with Gray's or Moores, but seriously, the best thing to do is just plug away at it. I'm doing very well but that comes with studying around 7-8 hours on the weekdays and 12 hours a day on the weekends.
I'll be honest, I knew med school tried to stuff as much info in as possible, but I didn't anticipate this amount of memorization. Again, you may feel like you're behind or that you forget everything, but just keep at it; you probably have memorized more than you give yourself credit for.

As far as websites are concerned, UMich Anatomy has a pretty good question bank with decent dissector images and quizes. Let's not forget the all important nature of mneumonics. Screw the lawyer save a patient (branches of axial artery). It's gotten to the point now that I need a mneumonic for the mneumonics🙄

Anyways, study hard, go over everything you read until you can explain it to someone else, and good luck.

 

[Jolie South]

As far as websites are concerned, UMich Anatomy has a pretty good question bank with decent dissector images and quizes. Let's not forget the all important nature of mneumonics. Screw the lawyer save a patient (branches of axial artery). It's gotten to the point now that I need a mneumonic for the mneumonics🙄

Anyways, study hard, go over everything you read until you can explain it to someone else, and good luck.

if you have access to it, the Acland's dissection videos are awesome too. i borrowed them from someone in my class.

 

[rgn10]

Thanks a lot guys! Your tips were really helpful, though I didn't apply them just yet. At least now I have an idea of how to study...
Best of luck to all of you 😀 and thanks again!

 

[medgrlsox21]

I think the most helpful thing was being in the anatomy lab and naming thing lab style (this is the inferior thyroid vein) and then any class notes associated. You'll prolly have to do this in groups or with at least one other person but make sure its someone who has relatively the same knowledge as you. If you pick someone slower it will only waste your time and if you pick a genius they'll go too fast for you to learn or yell out everything giving you no time to think for yourself. Seeing something visually then drawing an association to it helps you remember both aspects. Which you want to remember this info, not just stuff it down and throw it back up on the exam. 😀

 

[Adam638]

If you are having trouble, do the following in addition to lab. I was feeling overwhelmed and this website was a godsend. You have dissection videos, lecture notes, MCQ exams, and practicals that go with every major region you are dissecting (superficial back, etc.). Everything is explained very well.

http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/

 

[shreypete]

Under the allopathic forum, the first link is a really valuable one.....

 

[tco]

Does anyone use Sobotta? I just bought the Atlas single volume version and am wondering if it was a waste of money or a good purchase?

 

[njbmd]

I just opened up my copy of Netter and I am freaking out.....
any tips?

Check out my blogs (any of them) that are in my signature. I devote an entire post to mastery of Gross Anatomy.

 

[tco]

Check out my blogs (any of them) that are in my signature. I devote an entire post to mastery of Gross Anatomy.

Amazing blog.

Where did you find the time to do this while in medical school?

 

[njbmd]

Amazing blog.

Where did you find the time to do this while in medical school?

I wrote much of this during residency (on call and couldn't sleep or waiting to start a surgical case/rounds). Now, as an attending/professor, I post much less but most of the time, I get around to writing between cases or when I am waiting for something; in airports. I try to go back to notes and things that worked for me during residency (have to read and study there too).

 

[tco]

I wrote much of this during residency (on call and couldn't sleep or waiting to start a surgical case/rounds). Now, as an attending/professor, I post much less but most of the time, I get around to writing between cases or when I am waiting for something; in airports. I try to go back to notes and things that worked for me during residency (have to read and study there too).

You can consider what you're in an amazing career if you have to constantly study even when you're done with "school." I'm only a M0 -> MI, but I'm very excited about what I'm going to learn for the next 40 years.

Thank you for your blog. I'm sure that I'll use it quite often, especially in the next few years.