Are you frustrated about Anatomy? Have you tried understanding Anatomy and physiology using various techniques but it is still foreign to you?
You might have probably even attended Anatomy tutors and at the end of it, you still do not yet comprehend even the basic thing like how to memorize Anatomy quickly.
We are here to give a helping hand. In this article, we have highlighted the best tips on how to study anatomy and physiology in medical school.
Having the knowledge of how to pass anatomy exams is very much considered an asset as a student, specifically as a medical student. These 20 anatomy study guides will open your eyes to effective ways to study anatomy in one month, in ten days, and even on your own.
In as much as you put into practice these study guides, you are definitely going to have an in-depth understanding of Anatomy drawing and even enjoy studying it more.
How to study anatomy in medical school
- Understand the basics
- Learn to speak the “anatomy language”
- Seize the opportunity for dissection sessions and anatomy tutorials
- Engage In Group Study
- Associate structure to function
- Utilize learning by Sections
- Use Real Images For Practice
- Choose the right Anatomy Learning Resource
- Utilize a variety of methods
- Learning anatomy online
- Active recall
- Write down important stuff in your own words
- Discover your learning style
- Study early and frequently.
- Budget your time
- Attend and Participate in Class
- Get Ready Before Class
- Get your own mini lab at home
- Learn more by discussing with professionals
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#1. Understand the Basics
In reality, learning anatomy is a difficult task because it requires both knowing what and associating its functions with it. As much as getting comfortable with studying anatomy seems impossible, it most certainly is not unattainable.
Getting conversant with basics has proven over time to be one of the effective steps to take when learning anything new. This idealogy has proven to be true and should be adopted when studying Anatomy, as it sticks a foundation thereby making it easier for more knowledge to be built on it.
#2. Learn to speak the “anatomy language”
Language is key when studying anything generally. Try internalizing the Anatomy language in such a way that you understand every term used in it. Get conversant with the terms like you are conversant with English words.
#3. Seize the opportunity for dissection sessions and anatomy tutorials
Always ensure you fully engage whenever there is a dissection session in your school lab. This will help you learn even faster because applying the theories is more advantageous than learning just the theories. Also, make time to attend anatomy tutorials.
#4. Engage In Group Study
Seek or create an Anatomy study group because what is discussed during a study session remains in the head than even what is read. Also, having a study group motivates you to want to learn more as there will be competition.
#5. Associate structure to function
Learn how to connect a structure’s functions to it. In other words, it is recognizing a structure based on its function. This will help in identifying different anatomical structures, as anatomy has to do with various kinds of structures.
#6. Utilize learning by Sections
When studying Anatomy, do not try to learn everything at a go. Instead, you should plan your study in sections as this will help you compartmentalize your knowledge so that you don’t mix things up.
#7. Use real images For Practice
Do not make it a habit for using sketched drawings when studying Anatomy. You should rather use images that are real in order to get full details of that image and how it should appear in a real-world situation.
#8. Choose the right Anatomy Learning Resource
A mistake students make when learning Anatomy is that they get their feeds from the wrong source, which most times give unreliable information. In order to avoid this, you must choose the right resource. If you are not certain which is the right resource, you can verify with your teachers.
#9. Utilize a variety of methods
There are quite a numbers of available methods to adopt when studying Anatomy. Do not always use one particular type of method for your study, ensure you also practice other methods because different topics require different approaches to understanding them.
#10. Learning anatomy online
The web is no doubt a hive of knowledge where everything you wish to know can be gotten from. You can as well use this to your advantage in your study of Anatomy.
Articles and materials that relate to anatomy are surely online. You can actually access them for free; all you need to do is do a little research and you will find what you seek.
Those conversant with flashcards will agree with me that this method is quite instrumental when it comes to studying.
What are flashcards? They are cards that, on one side, have an anatomical structure and, on the other side, contain information with regards to the name, functions, etc. of the structure. Having studied the card, you should try giving information about the card just by looking at the structure and confirming your answers from the other side of the card. simple.
This helps your brain associate names with structures. If you like, you can make your own personal flashcards.
#12. Active recall
Endeavor to try to practice recalling what you learned in class by repeating what the tutor said and you understood immediately after the class.
#13. Write down important stuff in your own words
Put down what you feel is important to you when learning anatomy. As you study or as the teacher teaches, you should have a pen and a notebook with you so you can explain in your own words how you understand a particular concept. The purpose of this is to help it remain in your head.
#14. Discover your learning style
Everybody has a particular way in which they learn. You should strive to understand yourself and know the best learning style that works well for you.
#15. Study early and frequently
Prepare an early study schedule for Anatomy and also ensure the schedule is frequent. Do well to follow this schedule as it will help in setting your priorities and also give you a good start with respect to anatomy.
#16. Budget your time
Your study time should not be used for anything else. Make sure the time you allocated for your anatomy study is being used for it. Making a study schedule will also help you stay on track.
#17. Attend and Participate in Class
Resolve not to miss any Anatomy class irrespective of how uninterested you might think the class is. Also, always participate in the activities in class, this will help in making you have to rethink Anatomy classes.
#18. Get Ready Before Class
Before attending any Anatomy class, prepare yourself beforehand. This implies that you should make a prior study of the topic before going to class. This is advised because having done your personal study, attending the class would help you understand the said topic even better.
#19. Get your own mini lab at home
Practice whatever you learn in school at home even down to the practicals you did in school. Make a mini-space in your home for doing a replay of all you have studied and practiced in school. Doing this will make the knowledge stick with you for life.
#20. Learn more by discussing with professionals
You can also get firsthand knowledge about Anatomy from people that are currently practicing it as a profession. These people do the practicals daily, so they are in the best position to explain the practical aspects to you with accurate details.
Methods of Studying Anatomy
- Comparative Anatomy
How to Study Anatomy on your Own
- Enroll in an anatomy study website
- Select relevant topics to cover over a specific time period
- Buy more than three different anatomy textbooks.
- Get a deeper understanding of what you learned on the website from the textbooks.
- Prepare weekly practice questions to test how much you have actually learned.
- check to confirm if you were able to cover the selected topic over the given time period.
How to Study Anatomy in One Month
- Get the list of topics you wish to cover in a month.
- Appropriate these topics equally as targets for each week.
- Plan on how to cover the apportioned topics for each week
- Ensure you remain committed to your plan
- After 4 weeks (a month), test yourself by asking and answering some vital questions.
Where to Start Studying Anatomy
- Anatomical names for body parts
- Human anatomical positions
- Anatomical locations
- Translating anatomical names
How to Memorize Anatomy Quickly
- Create a schedule for study
- Create pictures of the concepts
- Be deliberate about memorizing
- Test yourself
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