How To Study Anatomy HELP!

Outerisland · Jan 23, 2011

Use online resources for a different perspective. If you check iTunesU, there are a lot of lectures from ETSU. These lectures are really good and will help you to bolster you notes.

staceym · Jan 23, 2011

I'm taking anatomy right now too. We just started last week but my teacher is actually really good. We have a textbook, atlas, study guides (he provides) and the coloring book. What's helping me most is going over and over my notes, the coloring book, notecards I bought, etc. I think it may benefit you to form a study group with a few trusted classmates so you guys can help each other out too. Does your professor provide any notes or supplemental text?

staceym · Jan 23, 2011

Also, I already have a degree so I've been through the "block" quite a few times and realize that as a freshman, some classes can be really daunting and the fast pace can be unfamiliar. First of all, realize that you CAN do this. Tons of people have gone through this class and passed it with flying colors no matter how terrible the teacher and how intelligent the person is. The beauty of anatomy is most of it is about memorization and understanding the information you are studying. The key for me my first time around in college was getting a grip on what study techniques worked for me and by trying different techniques and doing a little research about what worked for others. Eventually, I was able to really understand my personal path for understanding complex information. Studying 1-2 hours a day is really always a great way to keep the information in your head. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT CRAM. You have got to work on studying everyday. Persistence is key. Hope this helps.

brittanywatson · Jan 24, 2011

i took a&p i and ii and it definitely takes some getting used to. i apologize in advance for this being so long, but i have taken a&p i, ii, microbiology, and infectious diseases, and passed them with a's, now i'm in nursing school, and i have some great study tips to pass along that helped me tremendously.

since you're so early in your semester, i would recommend buying a netter atlas of human anatomy book, first and foremost. they are very pricey (mine was $100 from barnes & noble) so a used one off amazon would be your best bet. but, you will use this as a reference for years to come. the author and illustrator, frank netter, was a physician and medical illustrator. if you look up his work online, you would be amazed at the detail he put into anatomy. you won't have to worry about the coloring books anymore. it's all right there, plain as day, and so easy to understand.

aside from that, if your instructor is all over the place, this might sound a little crazy, but don't try to follow her in your book. it leads to confusion when you go back and forth, flipping pages, looking at her, and looking down to write. if she shows you something on a slide, immediately put your pen down and look at the slide. remember that your instructor makes these exams and she is the focal point of all exam information. if she says it or shows it, she thinks it's important. therefore, you must also think it's important.

just write down whatever you hear her say, or bring a digital recorder to class. if you don't know how to spell something, spell it phonetically. write it down, then look it up on google when you get home. after you take lecture notes, go home and read your chapters, highlighting important info. compare your lecture notes to the highlighted chapter.

anything you are unsure of, use external resources. my infectious diseases teacher left gaps in information all the time. the solution was so simple, yet people still failed the class. it is your job to fill in those gaps. the internet is a great resource. but be cautious that the info you get is valid and credible. i just now finished watching a youtube video from a college professor on the effects of diuretics on different parts of the kidney. it provided a great illustration and you can pause and rewind at any time you get confused.

now you need to organize your notes by writing them over again. this not only keeps you from being distracted by your chicken scratch or asking yourself, "why did i write that random word," but it also allows you to think about the information as you write it down again. what i did to save time was type out summaries (rather than writing them) of chapters on microsoft word, using bold font, italics, bullets, and indentations to subcategorize the info, then i printed it. i highlighted key terms. then anything that seemed important, i went the extra mile in finding more info on it from online medical journals. i hand wote more detailed side notes on my summaries. i am a visual learner, so writing and reading over and over work best for me.

mnemonics are your friend! especially when studying the brain.

example: some say marry money, but my brother says big breasts matter more

sensory, sensory motor, motor, both, motor, both, sensory, both, both, motor, motor in the order of cranial nerves starting from the olfactory (cranial nerve 1)

again, i apologize for the length of this post, but it will really help you, not only in this class, but in subsequent classes, especially in the nursing program. the key is 1. instructor info, 2. chapter info, 3. compare and condense notes from instructor and book, 4. external resources, 5. write/type notes again, including external resources. from there, you just go over your finalized notes and really try to grasp what you need to understand from the content. most importantly, ask yourself questions about your text. how, why, when, where, what? this will compel you to delve deeper into really understanding the content.

hope i helped! :cheers:

kbucksn · Jan 24, 2011

Thank you SOOO much!! I will try to put these into play. Another thing I am wondering is when you say read chapters..of what? What we have is the Atlas, Clinical Anatomy book and a note/study guide that basically has pictures, crappy ones at that and she has us just go through and label as she goes along. But there is nothing to read, there might be like a 2 paragraph bit of info every few diagrams. Is there something i should be finding?? so confused, but i am so thankful for the tips from everyone. one other thing, how do you go about forming a study group? i am an older student, don't know anyone at all , how have you gone about seeking out a study group??

thanks again

brittanywatson · Jan 24, 2011

I had an actual A&P text book that not only covered the anatomy, but physiological processes as well. There was a chapter on the endocrine system, cardiovascular system, etc. If you don't have something that specifically talks about the physiology in relation to the anatomy you are studying then I would go on amazon and find a used A&P book. Mine was called Holes Anatomy, 12th Edition and it will last through A&P I and II. Is she just teaching you the physiology as she goes? How do you find out what the lymphatic system does or what hormones are produced by which gland?

escapebigd · Jan 24, 2011

My anatomy teacher last semester gave me some great advice and it's actually helped in all my science classes. She said study in 20 minute sessions, act like your teaching a class what you just learned with no book or notes, take note of what you can't recall and go over that before reading further. I made an A in that class and ended up studying for about 3 hours a week. I also have a white board that I used when teaching my walls the subject and I found that I could see the drawings I would make in my head when taking tests. They were never pretty, but they really helped. I hope this is as useful for you as it was for me.

77for2011 · Jan 24, 2011

Hi! I have a fabulous A&P teacher, but she justs gives us a list of parts to memorize and lets us have at it with the models and our lab book and atlas. I LIVED in the Science tutoring lab at our school throughout AP1, b/c they were a great help. Otherwise, my classmates and I stumbled thru it in the atlas, using online resources, to help us figure out what everything was, and then just kill it and drill it (study it over and over), quizzing each other until it was stuck in our brains! Another good study tip in addtion to the others that were posted is that it really helped up to sometimes draw it and label it ourselves. We are not Picasso's, but doing it yourself really helps it stick, too!

You can do it!

staceym · Jan 24, 2011

I think as far as study groups go, you'll need to get to know some of your classmates and ask them.

Saysfaa · Jan 25, 2011

I second everything 77for2011 said. Especially the models in the science lab. Especially, especially for the head because the pieces fit together so oddly. It was a real help to see things from every angle and to fit the model pieces together while loooking at it from different angles. Also, to use different models. Also, to use the models the prof used for the exams.

I'd still use the coloring books, even with the issues you listed. It isn't the perfect match for everyone but I found the combination of clear pictures, combining the several visual aspects (shape, color, nice job of cut-aways, and so on) with doing something very helpful. I used Kapit's book, I bought another that was laughable compared to Kapits. My class also did not cover everything Kapit's did and also had stuff that Kapit's didn't, it wasn't much of a problem. I learned a few extra things when they were useful as orientation markers and went elsewhere for a few things not in the Kapit's.

iRonDayan · Jan 25, 2011

Hello! I'm currently taking A&P as well, and so far making flashcards seem to be my strength. This class seems to be all about memorization, just find your best way to study for memorization. I bought the A&P for Dummies book along with the A&P Study Group 101 which both are great to have. Just remember your not the only one taking this class this semester, were all in this together!