Success in Anatomy

[Mephisto]

Hey med school people, I was wondering now that you've just about finished first year or if you're MS2-MS4, looking back to first year, what advice would you give to incoming MS1's? What do you wish you had known about classes, particularly Anatomy and lab? I'm sure this is has been discussed, but it's all over the place and I thought it would be nice to have something set in a localized place. Lets keep this thread about anatomy, and we can do other courses in other threads that others can start or I'll even start.

Obviously, there is not much one can do to prepare and one definitely needs to relax the summer before MS1. It's probably futile to buy textbooks and start studying as this is one thing I hear EVERY med student say when some inexperienced MS0 gunner wants to study Netter's and Moore's over the summer.

Anyways, what are the keys to success in Anatomy lab? Dealing with lab partners? The lab practicals? The dissections? THe smells?

What are the best ways to prepare before each lab? What is the best way to study for the practical? What have you found that is most effective for you? Are there tips and tricks to the dissections that you've learned? What is notoriously the hardest one?

These questions should get you guys started....

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[sacrament]

Obviously, there is not much one can do to prepare and one definitely needs to relax the summer before MS1. It's probably futile to buy textbooks and start studying as this is one thing I hear EVERY med student say when some inexperienced MS0 gunner wants to study Netter's and Moore's over the summer.

Yeah, everybody goes nuts when an MS0 suggests they might try to get a head-start on studying. And yeah, it's probably not super-worthwhile, but unlike 99% of everybody else on this forum I wouldn't actively discourage it if you feel like it would give you confidence. I had absolutely ZERO anatomy knowledge going into med school (like, I knew "bicep" and "femur" and that was about it--you could have asked me where the liver was and I'd have waved vaguely around my abdomen) and so I bought Moore's and skimmed through it for a week or so prior to school. I think it helped me hit the ground running.

Anyways, what are the keys to success in Anatomy lab? Dealing with lab partners? The lab practicals? The dissections? THe smells?

Double-gloving helps keep the smell off your hands to some degree. Mostly you'll just get used to it.

What are the best ways to prepare before each lab?

There are dissection guides that you can read before each lab. I started off by reading the appropriate section of the dissection manual, reading the section in Moore's, studying Netter's, etc... after a few weeks I gave all that up, just started showing up for lab without even knowing what the day's objectives were. Once you start dissecting, all the protocol in the dissection manual sort of goes to hell anyway.

What is the best way to study for the practical? What have you found that is most effective for you?

Study not just your own cadaver, but as many of the other cadavers as you possibly can. Ideally become at least passingly familiar with every cadaver in the room, at least insofar as the more difficult structures are concerned. (We had over 20 cadavers, so I wasn't able to dedicate a lot of time to each one but, for example, I briefly studied the brachial plexus on them all.) If there are structures that give you fits to find, then find them on as many bodies as you can. Then if it gets tagged, you've probably found it at least once before regardless of what body they choose.

Are there tips and tricks to the dissections that you've learned? What is notoriously the hardest one?

Perineum/pelvis is hard. Head and neck can be made very difficult depending on your professor's emphasis on innervation and all the crazy goddamn muscles in the pharnyx/larynx. Limbs are a piece of cake. Thorax and abdomen are relatively easy.

 

[Dr_Smooth]

The the material in anatomy was presented to us was by region in the body (e.g. upper arm, followed by lower arm, followed by hand) I personally never studied the material in this format. The first thing I would do is learn all the osteology (consider this the framework). Next I would memories the intial arteries, their branches, and their connection. I would the same with the nerves as I would do with the arteries. Then I would learn all the muscles, b/c after you've memorized the framework of bone structures, vessels and nerves I found it much easier to memorize innervations and blood supplies to the muscles. As far as the clinical correlations study these after you have the understanding of the anatomy b/c they will be far easier to remember, though I did not think they were difficult to remember in the first place. I think this method was really effective in learning everything, because I was a major procrastinator when it came to anatomy and was always studying at the very last minute and still did very well.) As far as difficulty of the material the only portion I found to be somewhat challenging was the pelvis and perineum. Though many others say head and neck I didn't think so

As far as the lab is concerned I would always be unprepared for anatomy lab. I wias still able to do the dissections b/c we had video feeds demonstrating things to us. I still managed to do very well in the lab, however, because as I would study the written portion I would look in Netters to get a visual of the location of structures with respect to other structures. I thought Netters made visualization easy. Then I would use Rohan to see what the real structure would look like in relation to other real structures. Afterward I would go into the lab to see every structure at least once prior to the exam since I didn't know what I was looking at when I was performing dissections. I used Netters and Rohan to test myself using repetition and covering up marked structures in those books.

A lot of people found Anatomy to be extremely difficult, fortunately for me it was easy. (Everyone has some class thats easy for them in comparison to others so I'm not trying to blow myself up. We all have different strengths and weaknesses.) I think the primary reason was the methods that I noted above. Additionally and probably more importantly I never lost sight that Anatomy is heavy on visualization rather than just straight up memorization. If you and try and straight up memorize it will probably be much more difficult than if you are able to visualize, because then the memorization comes much more naturally.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

 

[sacrament]

Additionally and probably more importantly I never lost sight that Anatomy is heavy on visualization rather than just straight up memorization. If you and try and straight up memorize it will probably be much more difficult than if you are able to visualize, because then the memorization comes much more naturally.

While I think that primarily rote memorization will take you far in anatomy, DrSmooth definitely has a point here, in that the most difficult questions on anatomy tests (at least for me) are typically those that involve spatial visualization... e.g., structure X is usually found at what spinal level? or, if you start at structure X and head lateral and inferior, what is first major artery/nerve/bone/etc you will run into? These sorts of questions are virtually impossible to prepare for via standard brute-force memorization, as there are innumerable variations and the answer will not be "presented" in any text or atlas other than as a general visual representation.

 

[FernandoV]

This mainly has to do with the written exams in anatomy, not the practicals. I ended up acing anatomy and it was solely because of one thing, two words......INDEX CARDS!!!! I made index cards for each lecture. One question per index card. I wrote the questions myself. I asked every possible question that could be asked about every single structure we went over for each lecture (as you can imagine, this amounted to close to 1000 cards when all was said and done). For example, for an artery, I'd have a card asking what it branched from, a card asking what branches off of it, a card asking its relationships to other structures, a card asking the relationship of other structures to it, a card asking what it supplies, etc. I did this for EACH AND EVERY STRUCTURE. Then, I would go through all of the cards with my atlas by my side. When I came to a question that stumped me, I would find a picture in the atlas that would help explain it to me. I would quiz myself with these cards over and over and over. This process increased my learning efficiency tenfold. Before using these cards, I was a solid B student never sure if I was actually learning the material. The moment I started using them, I shot up to being an A+ student who was confident going into each test. And I have to say, it wasn't just the process of quizzing with the cards that helped me. The process of making the cards (as painstaking as it was) helped a ton too. I know it may take a little discipline to sit down and make all these cards for each lecture, but I am telling you that it was so worth it. On the other hand, if you're happy with being a B student........

 

[jonb12997]

my big thing was to use Rohen (after I knew the stuff somewhat well) - cover up the key on a particular page, take a sheet of lined paper, number down the side, and write down as many structures as I could remember. Then go back and look to see what I needed to concentrate on. That and I went into lab and looked at as close to all the bodies as possible (we had 30+ bodies that could and were used on the test, plus the prosections they pulled out that we had never seen before).

 

[erin682]

Study more than you think you will need to for the first exam. Then adjust accordingly. Also the key for anatomy is repetition. Leave yourself enough time to go over everything multiple times. And yes they do actually expect you to know everything about everything. But after some practice you realize that you are capable of do just that.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

BRS + netter CD = wicked head start. I wish I'd known earlier.

 

[Nflow]

I am in no way an anatomy guru, which is reflected in my so so Gross Anatomy grade (80%) however by the second half when we had neuroanatomy, which is usually harder, I ended up with a 95%. The difference was because I actually spent more time in the lab, particularly the week before the exam. Looked at several bodies, used Rohen effectively (tried to identify without looking at the list), also used some gross website, like the michigan site and the best one out there http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz/practice/u5/quiztop5.htm

the site corresponds very well with Grant's dissector, and has more than enogh practice questions.

Definitely invest in Nitrile glove-pick up a box of 40 for $5 at walgreens.

Hope this helps.

 

[Doctobee]

My question on anatomy labs is how many people disect one cadaver?? I'm sure that differs based on where you go, the size of class and lab, but if I don't dissect it myself, then it's harder for me to remember.. and it's hard to see over other peoples' heads. So I was just wondering if anyone has run into issues because of this?

Thanks!

 

[klubguts]

My question on anatomy labs is how many people disect one cadaver?? I'm sure that differs based on where you go, the size of class and lab, but if I don't dissect it myself, then it's harder for me to remember.. and it's hard to see over other peoples' heads. So I was just wondering if anyone has run into issues because of this?

Thanks!

We had four people per body in my class (about 215 students total)...it was no problem, everyone just took turns dissecting (some people don't want to do much anyway, while others aren't too interesting in sharing). You just have learn to work with the personalities of your tankmates....it's a pretty fun course. Good luck.

 

[chicadehuskers]

Pay attention to the tanks where your professors and TAs spend a lot of time during lab. Most likely, the more "difficult" structures will be tagged on these cadavers since the people tagging them probably assisted quite a bit with the dissection. I used to help tag the structures for the anatomy practicals and I definitely had certain bodies in mind where I knew there were good structures to tag. If you feel like you have a great dissection on a particular structure, be sure to point it out to the professor(s), that way it will have a better chance of appearing on the practical. Also, like many others have said, look at as many bodies as possible when you study. If you have TAs for the lab, ask them to help you go over structures that you cannot find easily yourself...and don't leave the lab early. You're more likely to get one-on-one time with the professors, TAs, and physicians if you stay until the lab is over.

 

[automaton]

anatomy is low yield, just blow it off.

 

[jonb12997]

anatomy is low yield, just blow it off.

 

[skiz knot]

If you want to pre-prepare for Anatomy, try watching the U of Wisconsin dissection videos.

Google it.

 

[crimicmar]

Hey will you sell me those cards?!

 

[sunny123]

Hey will you sell me those cards?!

Make them yourself, that is how you absorb the material.

 

[DrBowtie]

Maybe a naive question but is it possible or beneficial to take some pictures with a digital camera in the anatomy lab or are all the pics you need in netter's or like atlases?

 

[chicadehuskers]

Maybe a naive question but is it possible or beneficial to take some pictures with a digital camera in the anatomy lab or are all the pics you need in netter's or like atlases?

I don't think it's considered ethical to remove pictures of the cadavers from the lab...although you will probably have access to a digital camera to take pictures that can be posted in the lab for others to view in later years. I would definitely invest in Netter. I also found it beneficial to have a photographic atlas to use while studying as well. I used McMinn's because that's what I had available in my graduate school study lab. I've also heard that many students like Rohen's, but I haven't used it myself. I wouldn't study ONLY with a photographic atlas, however. This is simply because all human bodies are different, and Netter (or Grant...although I do not like Grant's) tries to show an "average" of all the structures and their locations.


Hope this helps!