study tips

[jesse14]

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I just started PT school last week and i'm already feeling the burn! I'm just wondering if anyone here can give me some study tips on how to lean all of this stuff. Specifically, anatomy would be great. I studied it for about 6 hrs today and I don't feel like i learned anything... is that a normal occurance or am i just slow lol

 

[PTapp]

I just started PT school last week and i'm already feeling the burn! I'm just wondering if anyone here can give me some study tips on how to lean all of this stuff. Specifically, anatomy would be great. I studied it for about 6 hrs today and I don't feel like i learned anything... is that a normal occurance or am i just slow lol

The way I study anatomy is I write all the attachments, nerve and blood supplies, and actions of those muscles. I have also found it extremely helpful to study the attachments using a skeleton in the Gross lab. For example, let's look at levator scapula. I first read the notes, and the notes say that it runs from the superior angle of scapula to the transverse processes of upper 4 cervical vertebrae. Meanwhile I visualize the muscle using the skeleton and go over it 3-4 times until I feel comfortable with it.

Same thing with the nerves and their spinal levels. Play games with them. Match them up to their respective muscles. then match those nerves to their spinal levels such as axillary nerve --> C5-C6 --> supplies deltoid and teres minor.

As for the arteries and veins, I usually draw them until I can memorize them. Draw the subclavian artery for example and then the thyrocervical trunk then draw what arteries come off of subclavian and meanwhile review what muscles those arteries supply and such.

And finally study every single cadaver in the lab. this is very important since the anatomy on cadavers may not be the same.

My program started 3 weeks and ago it is getting really tough every day. But I really like it. Good luck to you this year.

 

[fallbackplan]

Repetition, repetition, repetition.

The only way I can study things is to do quick bursts of learning followed by repetition of it several times throughout the study session (and also frequently throughout the week so as not to forget). And I can never really go longer than 2 hours on a single subject--especially anatomy, because after a while, all the specifics just get jumbled.

Other people in my class use flashcards, or their computers.

Working with people and quizzing over and over seems to help as it brings in an auditory component to learning as well.

One thing that I know has helped me learn is to learn things in blocks. For instance instead of learning everything by their OINA, I go back through and list all of the things innervated by Dorsal scapular n., then all of the muscles involved in ADDuction (retraction) of the scapula, etc... I know it sounds like they are the same way of doing things, but really it is just attacking the same problem from a different direction.