Looking for an online animal anatomy course

[critterologist]

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While waiting in breathless anticipation for rejections or acceptances, I have decided to deal with my anxiety by taking a couple of classes that will hopefully help prepare me for vet school. I've found a good online immunology course, but am still looking for an anatomy course. I know Colorado has a great one, but unfortunately it is not held in the Spring. If I don't get in to vet school I'll take it in the Summer or Fall, but if I do get in, Summer is not an option.

So, is anyone familiar with these courses:

The Humane Society puts this one on. I am a bit skeptical of its comprehensiveness, but I wont assume anything
http://www.humanesocietyu.org/workshops_and_classes/small_animal_anatomy_and_physiology.html

This one looks much more promising by Lifestyle Learning Direct, but I know nothing about the organization
http://www.lifestylelearningdirect.com/course/animal_anatomy_physiology_online

The course content of this one looks very similar to the last, but seems to be put on by ACS (some sort of Australian distance learning organization)
http://www.acseduonline.com/courses/product.aspx?id=313

Does anyone know anything about these courses? Or perhaps have other suggestions?

Thanks so much

 

[wi girl]

Every school I ever talked to said not to take an anatomy course, because they like to teach it their own way. In fact, at WI, some people had trouble re-learning things the wi way, as they had learned it differently (just terminology and emphasis of function, etc). I would REALLY recommend a histology course, though -- if you can find one!

 

[critterologist]

Colorado has an online histology course, but of course, it requires the anatomy course that I can't take as a prerequisite.

Do you think the differences in anatomy that you refered to are university specific, or specific to the veterinary field compared to animal anatomy for other purposes?

I guess I'm just worried about how I will deal with all the memorization, and would love to get a jump on the process. I keep telling myself that so many people do just fine, so I probably will too, but it has been quite a few years since I have been in school, and I worry about it.

Thanks for the input. I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts on this if anyone has any experience.

Thanks!

 

[Pomona2006]

I don't know anything about most of the courses you mentioned, but I'm currently taking the CSU online course and I LOVE it. Even if I'll have to relearn things down the road, it's a great course.

 

[critterologist]

If I had the option of taking the CSU course, I would absolutely do it. Unfortunately, it isn't taught in the Spring, so that isn't an option.

Out of curiosity, what do you love so much about it?

 

[Pomona2006]

I love pretty much everything about it! It is well-organized and well thought out. The instructor makes it clear what he wants you to know and what not to worry about. Tests are extremely fair! I have't been surprised by any of the questions on the exams. Also the main TA for the course is fantastic - always available and gets back to you with questions/concerns immediately. I particularly appreciate that the course is formatted so that every 4 weeks you have an exam (4 exams total) with each week being a new topic and the week before the exam is devoted to clinical applications of the last 3 weeks material - you watch videos that show animals with issues, surgeries to correct the problems, etc. It's really interesting! I also find that even though I am a full-time student at a local college (taking micro, chem, and physics), this course easily fits in amongst my other work.

I understand that the course not being offered in the spring is inconvenient for you, but let's hope you get in to vet school this round (as I am sure you'd prefer going to vet school over another year of applying and waiting, even if it means getting the opportunity to take the CSU course). Good luck!

 

[critterologist]

Thanks so much for the great info. I may try to take the class in the Summer after all. If I don't get in, I'll take it for sure, but if I do get in, I would be moving in the summer, which is stressful and a lot of work. Still, it sounds like you think the class is quite manageable, so I'll probably give it a try anyway. Thanks again!

 

[mbv]

If you have a lot of self discipline you could try just buying Miller's Guide to the Dissection of the Dog and try to learn as much as you can. You can use the University of Minnesota's site to give you visual aids : http://vanat.cvm.umn.edu/carnLabs/

Sometimes I feel like our anatomy professors just handed us a dead dog, told us to buy a dissection kit, and then told us to learn the entire dissection guide.... So getting used to learning it on your own could be helpful for vet school.

 

[lailanni]

Does anyone know anything about these courses? Or perhaps have other suggestions?

Thanks so much

Another suggestion 😉

I suggest taking a break from classes and enjoying the time you have now. Take a trip, see friends and family, work on a hobby, read those books you've been wanting to read, sleep in, enjoy life.

Recreational time is in much smaller quantities in vet school. Take it while you can get it!

While it may be somewhat helpful, you do not need any previous anatomy, histo, endocrine, etc knowledge. They will teach you everything you need to know from the bottom up.

I started vet school with only the basic pre-reqs. No anatomy, histo, etc. I'm doing just fine, and so are many of my classmates with my kind of background.

Life is short. You'll have 4 years to look at anatomy books. Take the time now to play while you can 😀

 

[critterologist]

All that is true, but I've had the last five years to not study, develop more hobbies then I have time for, play, sleep 8 hours a night, etc. The classes are to deal with my anxiety at how I will hold up with the rigors of vet school. I did well in undergrad, but that was quite some time ago, and I'm sure less hard then vet school. I'm sure I'll be ok without any of those classes, but I'm hoping for slightly better then ok, and perhaps a slight easing into the program. All this assuming I'll get in.

Thanks for the advise though, and I'll keep it in mind.

 

[freyamaxine]

I wouldn't suggest getting Millers Anatomy of The Dog, mainly because I don't like the book and don't feel like I have gotten that much out of it.

I am at the end of first year vet school (had my first anatomy exam yesterday and the prac exam tomorrow) and I am only just feeling like I am starting to understand the anatomy lingo. I found most of first semester just spent learning how the anatomical language works, so I would highly suggest orientating yourself with that.

I would suggest getting a basic anatomy text, just like the dog flash cards or something similar and learning the bones.

http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Anatomy-F...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226542485&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Anatomy-P...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226542522&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Spurgeons-Col...6731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1226542552&sr=1-1

At the start of the year my friend said that this book really helped her (she is a mature age student) http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226542584&sr=1-1

Also I find this website extremelly helpful for word endings and beginnings, something that is really helpful in anatomy! Instead of trying to memorise anatomical terms, try to work out what they mean. The same term is often used in multiple contexts, and if you know the meaning behind the word you can work out what certain structures do, what they connect to etc. without having learned about them before. http://www.anatomy.usyd.edu.au/glossary/

Also in terms of the orientation of the body, posterial vs caudal etc. I would suggest learning both the human and veterinary orientations. Books and certain lecturers often switch between them.

 

[critterologist]

Very helpful post, thank you. I got the flash cards a while ago, and the book you suggested looks very helpful. Thanks!

 

[InfiniVet]

Sometimes I feel like our anatomy professors just handed us a dead dog, told us to buy a dissection kit, and then told us to learn the entire dissection guide.... So getting used to learning it on your own could be helpful for vet school.

Hahahaha!! That is so totally true - that is EXACTLY how I felt.

Its like they tell you they're gonna teach you how to swim, so they line you up next to the pool, walk behind you and push you in, then stand above you looking down repeating "SWIM!" in a hopeful voice.

I loved the minnesota website, it totally got me through 1st semester anatomy.

Honestly, if you really want a heads up and start learning now - learn medical prefixes and root words. Taking a semester of Latin would've helped me out more than an online anatomy course. That will also help you with ALL the other courses too, and you won't freak out when you see "Hemangiosarcoma" or even have to memorize what it means. VERY useful!

http://www.medword.com/prefixes.html

But if you're hell bent on anatomy: the http://vanat.cvm.umn.edu/carnLabs/ one is great!
heres a few more for other subjects you'll need for 1st year too...if you just bookmark these and play around with them they'll prep you, I promise. It worked for me! Don't sweat the stuff you aren't able to follow, and fighting to understand them is futile and a waste of time without instruction.

http://www.images4u.com/
http://compepid.tuskegee.edu/syllabi/syllabi.htm
http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/images.htm
http://www.cellsalive.com/toc_immun.htm
http://microvet.arizona.edu/Courses/MIC419web/web419index.html
http://bangavet.com/links.htm
and the motherload: http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/

 

[freyamaxine]

Hahahaha!! That is so totally true - that is EXACTLY how I felt.

Its like they tell you they're gonna teach you how to swim, so they line you up next to the pool, walk behind you and push you in, then stand above you looking down repeating "SWIM!" in a hopeful voice.

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/

And if you ask them how to swim they say "how do you think?"

Yay for the end of first year anatomy 😀

 

[charismarl]

I haven't read the whole discussion up here but I wouldnt recommend an online anatomy class....or an anatomy class at all really. You will learn it once you're in school already anyway and a lot of times, vet schools don't accept correspondence classes so beware.