Tackling head & neck

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Hey guys, first year med student here.. Just got done with upper limb and have moved on to head and neck throughout the week... However, I'm really having a hard time on deciding where to focus..

Our school doesn't have a lot of lectures, but we have covered the eye, cranial nerves, skull, ear, superficial face, some ANS and meninges.

The problem I'm having is that I really like to have an overall idea of a concept and with head and neck I feel like I just can't do that. I've focused my studying on learning all the foramen of the skull and what comes out of them. I followed that by learning autonomics the best I can at this point because I thought it would help me see the big picture.. (along with reviewing the lectures we've had)

I just feel like head and neck is a bunch of little pieces that can't be brought together until two or three days before the test.. Which really stresses me out. So I guess I'm just wondering if anybody has any particular strategies for tackling head/neck
 
Kapooya said:
I just feel like head and neck is a bunch of little pieces that can't be brought together until two or three days before the test.. Which really stresses me out. So I guess I'm just wondering if anybody has any particular strategies for tackling head/neck
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Yep. Have fun.
 
Things that helped me:

1) Buy/borrow a skull. Keep it on your desk while studying and use it liberally. The 3D relationships in the H&N are tricky and this helps.

2) Bob Acland's DVD anatomy atlas has a few hours dedicated to H&N. The dissections are gorgeous fresh tissue specimens and these are great for an overview. I probably watched these 2-3 times at least during our H&N time using VLC on 2x-3x.

3) Rohen's.

I spent minimal time in the lab and most of my time learning from these and the usual anatomy resources. I felt lab time was especially wasteful at first because I spent so much time searching for 1-2 structures that could have been better spent elsewhere. Once things got going and I had a grasp of the area, I used the lab more and wasted much less time as most of the heads had already been dissected somewhat and I spent less time hunting and more time learning and understanding.

Good luck!
 
Knowing the cranial nerves routes and arteries is a good way to start, because that will have you to learn more about the bone structures as well. orbital space, nasal fossa, temporal bone, sphenoid, ethmoid.
Neck is best learned with axial images.
 
There is not much more in head and neck than anywhere else in the body. The best (for me, no one **** their pants) way to get it down is to make a bunch of triangles, start big and go small, then figure out what's in each triangle. The contents of each triangle is stuff you probably already know.
 
If you tackle by the head and neck, that's generally a 15 yard penalty personal foul, either for something like a facemask or a horse collar.
 
Oh man, I hated head and neck the worst. Our lady WAS THE TINIEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD to begin with (don't mean to disrespect her, I'm extremely grateful she was kind enough to donate herself to our learning, but it's just a fact). That compounded by the fact that most things in head and neck are relatively small, it was just ridiculous.

If I could have everything put together a whole 2 or 3 days before the test, I would consider myself very lucky.
 
Akali said:
Oh man, I hated head and neck the worst. Our lady WAS THE TINIEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD to begin with (don't mean to disrespect her, I'm extremely grateful she was kind enough to donate herself to our learning, but it's just a fact). That compounded by the fact that most things in head and neck are relatively small, it was just ridiculous.

If I could have everything put together a whole 2 or 3 days before the test, I would consider myself very lucky.
Click to expand...

im not sure which is worse, small or fat
 
At my school, there are only two anatomy exams so H&N is split up and on both of them. I know what you mean about not having the whole picture before the exam, because I literally did not and that made it difficult.
 
I straight up failed H&N on the lecture portion and barely passed the practical portion.

That part of the body can go **** itself.
 
Haha, I appreciate the honest responses, but you all have successfully scared me..


Gonna' learn today.
 
head and neck never really came together for me but i just powered through it and spent a lot of times hitting the books and the cadavers
 
evilbooyaa said:
Is it considered assault if you assault something non living?
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well i just looked it up on wikipedia and it says that assault is an intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact. i'm assuming that they were not apprehensive but you know, battery involves physical contact :naughty:
 
H&N really does come together as you go through the unit. By the time we got to the pterygopalatine fossa, things started connecting. Frustration turned to understanding. And now I'm applying to ENT.
 
Last edited:
Sigh. I just fuarked Leg/Pelvis/Abdomen. If Head and Neck is the hardest section, I'm prob looking at repeating this course. Or expulsion from the medical school if I fail again.
 
evilbooyaa said:
You failed? As in below a 70% or whatever the school's standard for failing is?
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I remain confident that I passed the Written (though I may be wrong), but the Practical was just crazy.

We'll see tomorrow.
 
Arkangeloid said:
I remain confident that I passed the Written (though I may be wrong), but the Practical was just crazy.

We'll see tomorrow.
Click to expand...

New rule. Until you post a picture of an exam with a number < 70% circled on it, you are not allowed to be neurotic about your anatomy grades.

Deal? Deal.
 
Never mind I got a 73 (over an 80 on the written lol, but I completely tanked the practical), crisis averted for now.

Need a 67 on Head and Neck and I never have to see these horrid cadavers again. This one's for all the marbles I suppose.
 
Had head and neck exam today. It was pretty dreadful...

Practical structures looked like dehydrated hamburger, mulched hay, or a ball of tangled yarn. I must have named the same structure 5 times. Good times. 😀

Fingers crossed that extremities end up being more like the thorax/abdomen (ie spread out and macro) than H&N.
 
just started today! does anyone know any good resources for supplementary material for H&N? (cranial nerves, etc)
 
CodeRedDew said:
just started today! does anyone know any good resources for supplementary material for H&N? (cranial nerves, etc)
Click to expand...

I've used some of these, I have a big *** picture with all the cranial nerves and everything they carry and go to (including autonomics) that has just been clutch, but it won't let me upload it... However, that video is seriously GOLD for understanding cranial nerves.. it is long though.

Arteries, Nerves, Muscles, etc & all of their pathways. It's everything you could ever hope for: http://www.instantanatomy.net/headneck.html

Dissection guide with quizzes: http://academic.amc.edu/martino/grossanatomy/site/medical/Lab Manual/Gastrointestinal/GI Labs.htm

Autonomics: it's long, but fabulous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzpo58qSPrE

Embryology: Pharyngeal Arches. http://www.embryo.chronolab.com/tables.htm
 
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