Online Anatomy Course?

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Total180

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Hey guys, I was a non-science major in college (graduated last May) and will be going to DCOM in the fall. I have recently been feeling like I should take an anatomy class, just to get a feeling of it, since I didn't have it in undergrad at all. I am working full time this semester, but I feel like 1 class (especially if it is online) wouldn't take up too much time. Does anyone know of any good online anatomy courses? Or do they not exist? Would it be beneficial to at least have some foundational knowledge before starting med school in August? I know everyone on here says to not "pre-study" or whatever, but I haven't taken a science class in 2 years, so I just want to get back in the swing of things before the fire hose of med school information gets thrown at me.
 
Hey guys, I was a non-science major in college (graduated last May) and will be going to DCOM in the fall. I have recently been feeling like I should take an anatomy class, just to get a feeling of it, since I didn't have it in undergrad at all. I am working full time this semester, but I feel like 1 class (especially if it is online) wouldn't take up too much time. Does anyone know of any good online anatomy courses? Or do they not exist? Would it be beneficial to at least have some foundational knowledge before starting med school in August? I know everyone on here says to not "pre-study" or whatever, but I haven't taken a science class in 2 years, so I just want to get back in the swing of things before the fire hose of med school information gets thrown at me.

Hi, I was actually looking for an anatomy course myself since I deferred my admission until spring 2012. I ended up deciding not to take a traditional course, but instead downloaded lectures from anatomy courses at Stanford and UC Berkeley on iTunesU. Quality education for free 🙂 Since I work the graveyard shift at a rehab center, I keep myself awake while my clients sleep looking at these or going through workbooks. An advisor at MSUCOM told me that she often hears from students that they wish they had taken an anatomy course prior to matriculation--so I don't think it's silly or a waste of time to take one if you'd feel more comfortable doing it. I just probably wouldn't go a route that will be overwhelming so as to prevent you from starting school rested and ready to go! Good luck!
 
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hey thanks for that awesome info. in the same boat and def would like to brush up on some anatomy before next fall. can you tell me the exact link to find the podcasts (?) or lecture series, or how I should navigate it thorough itunes to download them. sorry if its a hassle, this is seriously the only reason i just installed itunes 🙂 thanks a lot!
 
In my experience, online classes are more work than classroom-based courses. Maybe that's just my school though.

You could always find out what textbook DCOM uses for anatomy and buy it ahead of time online, and then just study it on your own.
 
hey thanks for that awesome info. in the same boat and def would like to brush up on some anatomy before next fall. can you tell me the exact link to find the podcasts (?) or lecture series, or how I should navigate it thorough itunes to download them. sorry if its a hassle, this is seriously the only reason i just installed itunes 🙂 thanks a lot!

No hassle at all! Once you're in iTunes, go to the iTunes Store and then you'll see a link for iTunes U in the upper left hand corner. Click that and then you can search for anatomy courses. Oncer there, just click what you want. Search for Radio Rounds too, you might find it interesting--I believe I even saw a thread on here discussing their episode (I think SDN is a sponsor). Anyways, there is a huge wealth of information on both iTunesU and the podcasts. If you want to subscribe/get all episodes listed under any specific course or podcast, go back into your iTunes (or do this before you begin your search) and click on the podcast section. From there, look at the lower right hand side of the window and click settings. Change the default settings to "download all" and repeat for the iTunes U section. This makes it easier to download every episode/lecture all at once rather than having to click each individually.

Hope this helps and I hope you find it useful!
 
I wouldn't go too nuts with the pre-studying but, especially for anatomy, a little bit of early prep can help.

I took med school anatomy through my post-bacc program and the summer before, I purchased the Rohen atlas and Netter flashcards and reviewed them for an hour each day. It definitely helped me out with the lab portion, especially the arm, forearm and hand.
 
I think that if you've already been accepted, then online is fine.
But I, personally, would never recommend online anatomy for those yet to apply.

Plastic models and coloring books are nice tools, but I wouldn't give up my learning experience in anatomy lab with a human cadaver for anything.
 
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