erikpaul
04-16-2009, 11:22 PM
The Professors
Dr. Uray
An excellent professor. It will take a couple of days to get accustomed to his accent. He is amazing at boiling the anatomy down to an easy method of learning. He is always available for questions; just make certain that you have looked into the subject, or, you may find yourself getting pimped over and over.
His exam questions are generally very detailed. If you know every little detail in his drawings in the packets, then you will get some of the really tough questions right.
Dr. D Rhodes
Her packets are very detailed, and generally take twice as long to process the material as the other professors, mainly because she packs so much more material in a 50 minute lecture. She is a wonderful person and an excellent help in lab. Her test questions are generally right out of her handouts.
Dr. Adams, D.O.
Dr. Adams teaches the radiology portion of this course. Since this is the only time that you will be taught this material, it is important to attend his lectures. His test questions are generally very easy.
The Content
Back and Spinal Cord
At KCOM, this is generally the first subject encountered in Anatomy. It is also the easiest subject, however, right before the exam, many students exhibit test anxiety over the large amount of material to be learned. Of all the anatomy exams, still, this is the smallest. However, for your board exams, this subject (as well as autonomics) is a high yield subject.
The best method to learn this material is to place the muscles in compartments (i.e. superficial, deep, intrinsic, etc...), then, learn the innervation pattern, arterial supply, and actions of the compartments.
Landmarks of the spinal cord are vitally important, such as what vertebral level it ends as well as where you can do lumbar punctures.
Autonomics
The lectures over the neuron and autonomics are probably the most important lectures of all your medical career–in terms of numbers of test questions related to it. EVERY anatomy and neuroscience test in medical school will have multiple questions that are derived from the concepts taught in this material. I strongly admonish you to learn this material very well! Start with the basics (where does the sensory neuron for ALL sensory modalities reside, etc...). Be able to reproduce your reflex arcs perfectly on a piece of paper. Understand in explicit detail the sympathetic innervation patterns as well as the parasympathetic. This includes knowing perfectly the pathway of the sympathetic nervous system (remember the Grateful Dead–“every SILVER lining has a touch of GREY”–white first, then grey rami communicantes). Know the pathways that the symp nerves can leave the chain ganglion–there should be three. Know your spinal cord anatomy in detail (sensory always posterior horn, etc...)
You have been warned. This stuff is CRUCIAL. Trust me.
erik
Upper Limb
The upper limb is generally taught during the first quarter after the back, and it seems to be the wakeup call for students. The back is much simpler compared to the upper limb. There are many muscles with various innervations. Because of this, students quickly get swamped. The best bet is to group all of the muscles by compartments. Then, memorize what each compartment does (action) as well as it’s innervation. This spreadsheet (http://www.atsudo.org/public/compartments.xls) has already performed the organization for you. All you need to do is learn it.
Another important aspect to learning your innervations is to learn the cutaneous innervation. It is easy to get swallowed up in the details of all the muscles, but, you can’t neglect this. One of the best ways to do this is to correlate all the nerves by drawing the brachial plexus with their cutaneous innervation as well as motor. In fact, this single act will be tested with 99.9% probability.
When studying the innervations, don’t forget the clinical syndromes associated with the upper limb. In fact, the questions you will get on the boards related to the upper limb will all be related to some clinical syndrome. There is an excellent overview of these syndromes in the Snell textbook.
Equally important is the blood supply. You MUST be able to draw the blood supply from top to bottom. Don’t worry so much at first about placing the arteries in their respective location to the skeleton...this will come in time (and from your study of your dissection). Get out a piece of paper and sketch the blood supply over and over.
Know your metastatic spread of lymphatics (by name), and you should be golden for the exam (well, don’t forget spread of infection via the bursae of the hand...Uray loves that).
Thorax
Abdomen
Pelvis/Perineum
Lower Limb
Head and Neck
Third quarter anatomy/OMM is a really critical time. The better you learn the stuff now, the better off you’ll be for the three quarters of neuro to follow. Take some time to understand the cranial nerves, the pre/postganglionic distribution, and how the autonomics play a role in the head. You’ll be glad you did later...this stuff comes back a lot.
If I had to name the *single* most helpful study aid for me last year, it would hands-down be a plastic skull. It was amazing for learning all the nerve holes, the sinuses, and the membranous attachments. It came in handy again when we started learning cranial in OMM, and all of the sutures and bone shapes became immensely more important. Last year, UAAO sold budget skulls for $30 – see if you can bug this year’s officers into helping out. If not, you can order one from OE here: https://www.oemedical.com/more/on/details/ACCS-20xzz .
jonathan
p.s. Erik agrees completely with JT on this one...You MUST learn your Cranial Nerves COLD so that neuro will be that much easier!
Useful Files/Guides
Upper Limb
You MUST look at this spreadsheet for the upper limb (it also includes the lower limb). This is THE way to organize the crazy amount of material (the rubber has now hit the road guys). This is how Dr. Uray taught the material in boot camp. This is something that I made that organizes the muscles into compartments. This is good, since the compartments for the most part have the same innervation pattern. This makes learning the innervation MUCH easier.
I don’t think that I provided blood supply for the UE. You may want to look into that.
You should be able to know this chart in it’s entirety from memory (don’t worry about the lower limb stuff, obviously).
Also, make certain that you draw out the blood supply and nerves. I will do it on my computer and post it so that you guys can see what I mean.
erik
Useful Websites
UM Quizzes- great for quick review, pick your length & area of study http://msjensen.education.umn.edu/Webanatomy/
Human Anatomy Online Quizzes- another view is always good http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz.htm
WISC Dissection Videos (Quicktime)- live dissection, good prep for lab http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/
MY FAVE= UM Dissection- Great for lab quizzes and tests alike! http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/courseinfo/video_index.html -click on an area and you can watch the video, or pick a review sheet or quiz to take from the top of the page
~Michelle Hill
Old Exams
Back with the class of 2007, anatomy was taught in the AAFOM course...a course that integrated OMM, Complete DO, and Anatomy. So, you can do a test from that catalog and hit all three subjects (or, just skip the OMM questions in your anatomy study and vice versa).
Ending with the class of 2009, embryology was taught in the histology course. The histo exams can be found here.
Fellow Tips and Quizzes
Justin Cutler's Quizzes–Justin, Class of 2009 (originally 2008) wrote “pimp” style questions for different sections of anatomy for the class of 2010. These can be found here stickied.
Student Tips
Written Exam Studying
Jonathan's Tips
- Know your nerve rules. If you’re having trouble with nerve questions (”Where are the cell bodies to found?”), look at the nerve_rules file I posted on the 2010 Google group ( http://groups-beta.google.com/group/kcom-2010/files). Some sample questions you should be able to answer: Where are the cell bodies of neurons that vasoconstrict blood vessels in the arm? What type of fibers are contained in the esophageal plexus? Where are the cell bodies of neurons that cause sweating in the axilla? At what segments of the spinal cord are sympathetic cell bodies located? Parasympathetic?
- Begin looking at things as systems and related entities - the more you can draw parallels, the less you will need to memorize, and the better you’ll do on the exam. For example, think of the erector spinae muscles as a group of three muscles, with a set spatial arrangement, and know comparative attachments. Do NOT memorize these as three different muscles. The same goes for the upper limb: which muscles are in the arm? Which are in the forearm? Which are posterior? Which are anterior? Classify muscles functionally as well. Instead of saying “Teres Minor is an external rotator,” remember which are the two external rotators. Which muscles abduct? Which adduct? Classify and group as much as you can. As you group, notice the attachments. If you know where muscles attach on the humerus, ulna, radius, etc, you’ll be able to think through what they do. If you memorize all this, it’s too easy to forget. Go one step further, and understand why and how.
- Innervation is very important - especially if it’s clinically relevant. Know what innervates the serratus anterior, and what happens if this nerve is cut. What gives you porter’s/waiter’s tip hand? Claw hand? Again, connect structure to function, and you won’t have to memorize.
- Know where aspirated materials go in the lung. Why do they go there? How is there dual blood supply to the lungs? At what costal areas would you expect to find each of the valves in the heart? Which section of the heart faces anterior? Which section of the heart is closest to the esophagus? Where is the esophagus in relation to the trachea at different parts of its length? What structures are found in each section of the mediastinum? What divides these sections?
- Don’t forget about bones. Which carpal bones connect to which bones in the forearm? If a person fractures their olecranon, what nerve is most likely to be injured? Which blood vessels are at risk? Is there any collateral circulation?
- Know the ORDER from medial to lateral and anterior to posterior at key areas: wrist, antecubital fossa, etc. Be able to name all nerves and vessels both ways (med –> lat and lat –> med). Spatial relationships are huge! If a patient has dislocated certain carpal bones, you should know what related structures will get hit.
- USE your resources. Old exams, board review books, and web sites are key. My favorite for the written exam is: http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/courseinfo/mich_quiz_index.html/ . Maybe even start there to see what areas you are weak in. The questions on this site are generally less complex than those in class.
- Please, even if you know it well, go through the packets with Netter, finding every structure. Your visual memory will save you question after question.
- Lymph and venous drainage are ALWAYS tested on. Maybe do one sweep of your notes just looking at these aspects to put it all in context.
Lab Quiz Studying
Erik's Tips
Study the quizzes like they are an exam. This is what I did. I got at 75% on the first exam, 65% on the second, then a 98% on the third. After the second exam is where I changed my study habits (after I started doing this, I never got below at 90% on an exam–most of my exams were high 90’s):
The most important feature to my studying was drawing the structures that I was studying (this is NOT a group study style). This created an active learning environment. I read my notes with my netter, dissector, and Moore open. When the notes referrenced a page in the netter (uray doesn’t provide references–however, all his powerpoints have references at the bottom–go to class!) I would look it up and see the structures that they were talking about (I sometimes had to check out books from the library). Every single time the netter plate had much more detail than was being discussed at that moment in the notes (trust me, you WILL need to know all the details on every netter plate). I had a tough time soaking in all of the details–it seemed daunting. So, I “redrew” that netter plate, only including the structures being discussed and various important landmarks (go get some colored pencils). I am no artist–in fact, my drawings made no sense to anybody but myself (even though I did get better). Wasting your time on a “good drawing” is just that–your drawings need to show important stuff only. This is so difficult to understand unless you see it. Maybe I’ll scan in some of my notes and post them.
Each note packet generally had about 20-30 different drawings. I kept them all organized in a binder (when I studied for the tests, I just reviewed my drawings). This made studying for anatomy finals easy.
The next VITALLY important aspect to all of this was that AFTER I had done these drawings, I went back up to lab. This was generally the next evening (or morning, depending on how the week looked). I “redid” the lab, having acquired a large knowledge from the notes. This sealed my learning. I generally only required a quick overview for the exam (I tutored a bunch, though, before the exam–so I got a lot more study time in, even though I felt prepared). For the quizzes, I would then go up to lab during lunch and run through all of the structures that could be IDed. Then, I tutored students in lab that were less prepared. With this, I “pimped” them on functional questions from the notes.
Finally, I went to Dr. Uray’s anatomy test review ready to take the exam (the one that is in the schedule). THAT IS IMPORTANT! Many of my fellow students didn’t go to those reviews, because they said it was a waste of time. If you aren’t prepared, it will be a big waste of time. However, if you are prepared, you will probably get an extra 5 questions right on the exam that you wouldn’t have gotten if you missed it.
Good luck. This worked for me. I know people that didn’t do this, and they did just fine. Understand, however, that I still remember tons of stuff from anatomy. I don’t remember much from other classes. I attribute it to my learning technique.
erik
Jonathan's Tips
- The online dissection videos are awesome: http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/index.html. [You can jump right to and even download the videos by using the format http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/Dissection15.mov, replacing the number at the end as needed]. - The practicals on this site are decent: http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/courseinfo/mich_quiz_index .html - This site has really good practicals: http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz.htm - Study with your dissector and Netter - the structures identified on the lab exam will be the same as those on the lab quizzes. Expect to see bones, specimens, and radiographs.There will not be any functional questions. - As with lab quizzes, knowing attachments and orientation is really helpful. If you know “this nerve” runs by “this muscle,” you’ll be in good shape. Know where other muscles are in relation to your easily-distinguishable landmarks – trapezius, brachioradialis, etc. The medial –> lateral relationships at the wrist, antecubital fossa, etc as mentioned above will also be tested.
I could go on and on with specifics, but what really matters is the thought process. Biochem is for memorizing, anatomy is for understanding and making oneself stinky. Good luck.
Jonathan
Histology
The Class
This course has gone through a number of changes over the past couple of years, all in the right direction. The course has typically been a challenging course for a number of students, since it is the first time for many students that they have looked in a microscope for histo structures.
The course is divided into cell biology and basic histology during the first quarter. Second quarter focuses on the histology of the organs, which is invariably much harder in some regards, but, easier in others.
Embryology used to be taught in this course, however, it is now taught in the Anatomy course.
While this is just anecdotal, my COMLEX had one question from histology, and that question couldn’t be answered without a deep knowledge of medicine pathophysiology. So, for the boards, this subject was EXTREMELY low yield for me (one out of 400, if you can even call that question one).
The Professors
Dr. Rhodes
Dr. Rhodes is arguably the most dedicated teacher at KCOM. He is often nominated for the teacher of the year award. His lectures are very different from any other lecture you will get at KCOM. He uses paper and colored pens to help teach the material, and many students like the method. He will put his notes that he draws in class in the library on reserve, so, it would be wise to sit and watch what he is drawing, as opposed to trying to copy everything that he is doing. He teaches in this method in the hope that students will learn that organization and drawing is the best way to study anatomy and histology.
His tests are very fair, yet very hard. It is good, since his types of questions are the ones that you will encounter on national board exams (2 and 3 step questions). His tests are always a teaching experience, some of the questions will discuss a disease, and then ask a question that is related to the disease, however, you don’t need to know anything about the disease to get the question right. That is how he teaches you.
The Content
1st quarter histology covers cell biology. It will also cover the basics of histology, starting with epithelium. Connective tissue (which includes blood) and one or two minor organs will also be presented. This is really just preparation for second quarter, which covers the organ systems. You would be very wise to learn your epithelia as well as connective tissue spot cold.
Image Exam
For your lab exam, remember:
1. If an arrow is needed to ID something, they can’t ask it on the lab exam. So, the questions are going to be, “name the predominate tissue type”, or “name the predominate connective tissue”, or “name the organ” (not so much this quarter for this one).
2. Dr. Patrick (no longer at university) was in charge of picking the slides for the lab exam and Dr. Rhodes did the image exam (last year). So, even though one professor didn’t lecture on that topic, you need to know the detail that the other professor would like you to have.
3. Write down the types of things they can ask, such as CT, Muscle, Epithelium, Organs. Then, write down the different types they can ask. Such as Dense Regular CT, Loose Irregular, Dense Irregular, Blood, Bone, etc... Do this for all of those. Once you have done that, write down defining characteristics about each.
Don’t just settle with the most common (or a single defining structure). Such as, Dr. Patrick (no longer at university) may give you a cardiac muscle that doesn’t have intercalated disks apparent, but shows good interdigitations. Another classic (for the image exam) is Dr. Rhodes might give you an epithelium that looks pseudo strat., but you aren’t certain if it is ciliated or stereocilia. His image may show clumping (not so definitive, even though that is what everybody says), but he may go to super high power and you will see the lack of basal bodies (definitive)–now you know that it is stereocilia.
4. Look at every slide that was referenced in the lab handouts (not necessarily the first lab) from ALL 4 boxes. There are different stains and you should be familiar with all.
5. Pimp each other in lab while you study, such as, “take a look at this and tell me what you think”. Pass the slide upside down to the student (it doesn’t matter if it is upside down or not on the tray).
6. If you are still lost, watch those DVDs. They will help you, even if you already watched them. I watched all of them twice, and some three times (the glandular tissues that you will see next quarter, in particular).
7. Put look alike slides on the tray (you can fit two slides on a tray) and go back and forth, looking at the differences. This is huge for Dense Regular CT and Smooth Muscle. DO NOT rely on the stain. Focus on the nuclei and size of fibers.
That should get you through. I don’t remember if blood is on this lab exam. It will be on the image test, however, and it is a KICK IN THE PANTS! I thought that blood was hardest subject of histo (the differences are so subtle). The DVDs are an absolute MUST for this. DON’T DON’T DON’T waste your time trying to learn the blood in lab–the slides are terrible. Use the DVDs and atlases.
Useful Websites
Boston University (http://www.bu.edu/histology/m/index.htm)–an excellent site for histology lab.
Loyola zoomified histology (http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/Histo/frames/histo_frames.html). A great resource
Histo DVDs (http://web.missouri.edu/~krausew/Histology/Home.html)–probably the most important link for the image and lab exams. MUST WATCH THESE VIDEOS BEFORE LAB!
Virtual Lab (http://www.path.uiowa.edu/virtualslidebox/nlm_histology/content_index_db.html)–wonderful resource to use IN lab. You can look up a structure on your laptop and then ask a fellow to ID it for you.
Dr. Uray
An excellent professor. It will take a couple of days to get accustomed to his accent. He is amazing at boiling the anatomy down to an easy method of learning. He is always available for questions; just make certain that you have looked into the subject, or, you may find yourself getting pimped over and over.
His exam questions are generally very detailed. If you know every little detail in his drawings in the packets, then you will get some of the really tough questions right.
Dr. D Rhodes
Her packets are very detailed, and generally take twice as long to process the material as the other professors, mainly because she packs so much more material in a 50 minute lecture. She is a wonderful person and an excellent help in lab. Her test questions are generally right out of her handouts.
Dr. Adams, D.O.
Dr. Adams teaches the radiology portion of this course. Since this is the only time that you will be taught this material, it is important to attend his lectures. His test questions are generally very easy.
The Content
Back and Spinal Cord
At KCOM, this is generally the first subject encountered in Anatomy. It is also the easiest subject, however, right before the exam, many students exhibit test anxiety over the large amount of material to be learned. Of all the anatomy exams, still, this is the smallest. However, for your board exams, this subject (as well as autonomics) is a high yield subject.
The best method to learn this material is to place the muscles in compartments (i.e. superficial, deep, intrinsic, etc...), then, learn the innervation pattern, arterial supply, and actions of the compartments.
Landmarks of the spinal cord are vitally important, such as what vertebral level it ends as well as where you can do lumbar punctures.
Autonomics
The lectures over the neuron and autonomics are probably the most important lectures of all your medical career–in terms of numbers of test questions related to it. EVERY anatomy and neuroscience test in medical school will have multiple questions that are derived from the concepts taught in this material. I strongly admonish you to learn this material very well! Start with the basics (where does the sensory neuron for ALL sensory modalities reside, etc...). Be able to reproduce your reflex arcs perfectly on a piece of paper. Understand in explicit detail the sympathetic innervation patterns as well as the parasympathetic. This includes knowing perfectly the pathway of the sympathetic nervous system (remember the Grateful Dead–“every SILVER lining has a touch of GREY”–white first, then grey rami communicantes). Know the pathways that the symp nerves can leave the chain ganglion–there should be three. Know your spinal cord anatomy in detail (sensory always posterior horn, etc...)
You have been warned. This stuff is CRUCIAL. Trust me.
erik
Upper Limb
The upper limb is generally taught during the first quarter after the back, and it seems to be the wakeup call for students. The back is much simpler compared to the upper limb. There are many muscles with various innervations. Because of this, students quickly get swamped. The best bet is to group all of the muscles by compartments. Then, memorize what each compartment does (action) as well as it’s innervation. This spreadsheet (http://www.atsudo.org/public/compartments.xls) has already performed the organization for you. All you need to do is learn it.
Another important aspect to learning your innervations is to learn the cutaneous innervation. It is easy to get swallowed up in the details of all the muscles, but, you can’t neglect this. One of the best ways to do this is to correlate all the nerves by drawing the brachial plexus with their cutaneous innervation as well as motor. In fact, this single act will be tested with 99.9% probability.
When studying the innervations, don’t forget the clinical syndromes associated with the upper limb. In fact, the questions you will get on the boards related to the upper limb will all be related to some clinical syndrome. There is an excellent overview of these syndromes in the Snell textbook.
Equally important is the blood supply. You MUST be able to draw the blood supply from top to bottom. Don’t worry so much at first about placing the arteries in their respective location to the skeleton...this will come in time (and from your study of your dissection). Get out a piece of paper and sketch the blood supply over and over.
Know your metastatic spread of lymphatics (by name), and you should be golden for the exam (well, don’t forget spread of infection via the bursae of the hand...Uray loves that).
Thorax
Abdomen
Pelvis/Perineum
Lower Limb
Head and Neck
Third quarter anatomy/OMM is a really critical time. The better you learn the stuff now, the better off you’ll be for the three quarters of neuro to follow. Take some time to understand the cranial nerves, the pre/postganglionic distribution, and how the autonomics play a role in the head. You’ll be glad you did later...this stuff comes back a lot.
If I had to name the *single* most helpful study aid for me last year, it would hands-down be a plastic skull. It was amazing for learning all the nerve holes, the sinuses, and the membranous attachments. It came in handy again when we started learning cranial in OMM, and all of the sutures and bone shapes became immensely more important. Last year, UAAO sold budget skulls for $30 – see if you can bug this year’s officers into helping out. If not, you can order one from OE here: https://www.oemedical.com/more/on/details/ACCS-20xzz .
jonathan
p.s. Erik agrees completely with JT on this one...You MUST learn your Cranial Nerves COLD so that neuro will be that much easier!
Useful Files/Guides
Upper Limb
You MUST look at this spreadsheet for the upper limb (it also includes the lower limb). This is THE way to organize the crazy amount of material (the rubber has now hit the road guys). This is how Dr. Uray taught the material in boot camp. This is something that I made that organizes the muscles into compartments. This is good, since the compartments for the most part have the same innervation pattern. This makes learning the innervation MUCH easier.
I don’t think that I provided blood supply for the UE. You may want to look into that.
You should be able to know this chart in it’s entirety from memory (don’t worry about the lower limb stuff, obviously).
Also, make certain that you draw out the blood supply and nerves. I will do it on my computer and post it so that you guys can see what I mean.
erik
Useful Websites
UM Quizzes- great for quick review, pick your length & area of study http://msjensen.education.umn.edu/Webanatomy/
Human Anatomy Online Quizzes- another view is always good http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz.htm
WISC Dissection Videos (Quicktime)- live dissection, good prep for lab http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/
MY FAVE= UM Dissection- Great for lab quizzes and tests alike! http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/courseinfo/video_index.html -click on an area and you can watch the video, or pick a review sheet or quiz to take from the top of the page
~Michelle Hill
Old Exams
Back with the class of 2007, anatomy was taught in the AAFOM course...a course that integrated OMM, Complete DO, and Anatomy. So, you can do a test from that catalog and hit all three subjects (or, just skip the OMM questions in your anatomy study and vice versa).
Ending with the class of 2009, embryology was taught in the histology course. The histo exams can be found here.
Fellow Tips and Quizzes
Justin Cutler's Quizzes–Justin, Class of 2009 (originally 2008) wrote “pimp” style questions for different sections of anatomy for the class of 2010. These can be found here stickied.
Student Tips
Written Exam Studying
Jonathan's Tips
- Know your nerve rules. If you’re having trouble with nerve questions (”Where are the cell bodies to found?”), look at the nerve_rules file I posted on the 2010 Google group ( http://groups-beta.google.com/group/kcom-2010/files). Some sample questions you should be able to answer: Where are the cell bodies of neurons that vasoconstrict blood vessels in the arm? What type of fibers are contained in the esophageal plexus? Where are the cell bodies of neurons that cause sweating in the axilla? At what segments of the spinal cord are sympathetic cell bodies located? Parasympathetic?
- Begin looking at things as systems and related entities - the more you can draw parallels, the less you will need to memorize, and the better you’ll do on the exam. For example, think of the erector spinae muscles as a group of three muscles, with a set spatial arrangement, and know comparative attachments. Do NOT memorize these as three different muscles. The same goes for the upper limb: which muscles are in the arm? Which are in the forearm? Which are posterior? Which are anterior? Classify muscles functionally as well. Instead of saying “Teres Minor is an external rotator,” remember which are the two external rotators. Which muscles abduct? Which adduct? Classify and group as much as you can. As you group, notice the attachments. If you know where muscles attach on the humerus, ulna, radius, etc, you’ll be able to think through what they do. If you memorize all this, it’s too easy to forget. Go one step further, and understand why and how.
- Innervation is very important - especially if it’s clinically relevant. Know what innervates the serratus anterior, and what happens if this nerve is cut. What gives you porter’s/waiter’s tip hand? Claw hand? Again, connect structure to function, and you won’t have to memorize.
- Know where aspirated materials go in the lung. Why do they go there? How is there dual blood supply to the lungs? At what costal areas would you expect to find each of the valves in the heart? Which section of the heart faces anterior? Which section of the heart is closest to the esophagus? Where is the esophagus in relation to the trachea at different parts of its length? What structures are found in each section of the mediastinum? What divides these sections?
- Don’t forget about bones. Which carpal bones connect to which bones in the forearm? If a person fractures their olecranon, what nerve is most likely to be injured? Which blood vessels are at risk? Is there any collateral circulation?
- Know the ORDER from medial to lateral and anterior to posterior at key areas: wrist, antecubital fossa, etc. Be able to name all nerves and vessels both ways (med –> lat and lat –> med). Spatial relationships are huge! If a patient has dislocated certain carpal bones, you should know what related structures will get hit.
- USE your resources. Old exams, board review books, and web sites are key. My favorite for the written exam is: http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/courseinfo/mich_quiz_index.html/ . Maybe even start there to see what areas you are weak in. The questions on this site are generally less complex than those in class.
- Please, even if you know it well, go through the packets with Netter, finding every structure. Your visual memory will save you question after question.
- Lymph and venous drainage are ALWAYS tested on. Maybe do one sweep of your notes just looking at these aspects to put it all in context.
Lab Quiz Studying
Erik's Tips
Study the quizzes like they are an exam. This is what I did. I got at 75% on the first exam, 65% on the second, then a 98% on the third. After the second exam is where I changed my study habits (after I started doing this, I never got below at 90% on an exam–most of my exams were high 90’s):
The most important feature to my studying was drawing the structures that I was studying (this is NOT a group study style). This created an active learning environment. I read my notes with my netter, dissector, and Moore open. When the notes referrenced a page in the netter (uray doesn’t provide references–however, all his powerpoints have references at the bottom–go to class!) I would look it up and see the structures that they were talking about (I sometimes had to check out books from the library). Every single time the netter plate had much more detail than was being discussed at that moment in the notes (trust me, you WILL need to know all the details on every netter plate). I had a tough time soaking in all of the details–it seemed daunting. So, I “redrew” that netter plate, only including the structures being discussed and various important landmarks (go get some colored pencils). I am no artist–in fact, my drawings made no sense to anybody but myself (even though I did get better). Wasting your time on a “good drawing” is just that–your drawings need to show important stuff only. This is so difficult to understand unless you see it. Maybe I’ll scan in some of my notes and post them.
Each note packet generally had about 20-30 different drawings. I kept them all organized in a binder (when I studied for the tests, I just reviewed my drawings). This made studying for anatomy finals easy.
The next VITALLY important aspect to all of this was that AFTER I had done these drawings, I went back up to lab. This was generally the next evening (or morning, depending on how the week looked). I “redid” the lab, having acquired a large knowledge from the notes. This sealed my learning. I generally only required a quick overview for the exam (I tutored a bunch, though, before the exam–so I got a lot more study time in, even though I felt prepared). For the quizzes, I would then go up to lab during lunch and run through all of the structures that could be IDed. Then, I tutored students in lab that were less prepared. With this, I “pimped” them on functional questions from the notes.
Finally, I went to Dr. Uray’s anatomy test review ready to take the exam (the one that is in the schedule). THAT IS IMPORTANT! Many of my fellow students didn’t go to those reviews, because they said it was a waste of time. If you aren’t prepared, it will be a big waste of time. However, if you are prepared, you will probably get an extra 5 questions right on the exam that you wouldn’t have gotten if you missed it.
Good luck. This worked for me. I know people that didn’t do this, and they did just fine. Understand, however, that I still remember tons of stuff from anatomy. I don’t remember much from other classes. I attribute it to my learning technique.
erik
Jonathan's Tips
- The online dissection videos are awesome: http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/index.html. [You can jump right to and even download the videos by using the format http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/Dissection15.mov, replacing the number at the end as needed]. - The practicals on this site are decent: http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/courseinfo/mich_quiz_index .html - This site has really good practicals: http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/quiz.htm - Study with your dissector and Netter - the structures identified on the lab exam will be the same as those on the lab quizzes. Expect to see bones, specimens, and radiographs.There will not be any functional questions. - As with lab quizzes, knowing attachments and orientation is really helpful. If you know “this nerve” runs by “this muscle,” you’ll be in good shape. Know where other muscles are in relation to your easily-distinguishable landmarks – trapezius, brachioradialis, etc. The medial –> lateral relationships at the wrist, antecubital fossa, etc as mentioned above will also be tested.
I could go on and on with specifics, but what really matters is the thought process. Biochem is for memorizing, anatomy is for understanding and making oneself stinky. Good luck.
Jonathan
Histology
The Class
This course has gone through a number of changes over the past couple of years, all in the right direction. The course has typically been a challenging course for a number of students, since it is the first time for many students that they have looked in a microscope for histo structures.
The course is divided into cell biology and basic histology during the first quarter. Second quarter focuses on the histology of the organs, which is invariably much harder in some regards, but, easier in others.
Embryology used to be taught in this course, however, it is now taught in the Anatomy course.
While this is just anecdotal, my COMLEX had one question from histology, and that question couldn’t be answered without a deep knowledge of medicine pathophysiology. So, for the boards, this subject was EXTREMELY low yield for me (one out of 400, if you can even call that question one).
The Professors
Dr. Rhodes
Dr. Rhodes is arguably the most dedicated teacher at KCOM. He is often nominated for the teacher of the year award. His lectures are very different from any other lecture you will get at KCOM. He uses paper and colored pens to help teach the material, and many students like the method. He will put his notes that he draws in class in the library on reserve, so, it would be wise to sit and watch what he is drawing, as opposed to trying to copy everything that he is doing. He teaches in this method in the hope that students will learn that organization and drawing is the best way to study anatomy and histology.
His tests are very fair, yet very hard. It is good, since his types of questions are the ones that you will encounter on national board exams (2 and 3 step questions). His tests are always a teaching experience, some of the questions will discuss a disease, and then ask a question that is related to the disease, however, you don’t need to know anything about the disease to get the question right. That is how he teaches you.
The Content
1st quarter histology covers cell biology. It will also cover the basics of histology, starting with epithelium. Connective tissue (which includes blood) and one or two minor organs will also be presented. This is really just preparation for second quarter, which covers the organ systems. You would be very wise to learn your epithelia as well as connective tissue spot cold.
Image Exam
For your lab exam, remember:
1. If an arrow is needed to ID something, they can’t ask it on the lab exam. So, the questions are going to be, “name the predominate tissue type”, or “name the predominate connective tissue”, or “name the organ” (not so much this quarter for this one).
2. Dr. Patrick (no longer at university) was in charge of picking the slides for the lab exam and Dr. Rhodes did the image exam (last year). So, even though one professor didn’t lecture on that topic, you need to know the detail that the other professor would like you to have.
3. Write down the types of things they can ask, such as CT, Muscle, Epithelium, Organs. Then, write down the different types they can ask. Such as Dense Regular CT, Loose Irregular, Dense Irregular, Blood, Bone, etc... Do this for all of those. Once you have done that, write down defining characteristics about each.
Don’t just settle with the most common (or a single defining structure). Such as, Dr. Patrick (no longer at university) may give you a cardiac muscle that doesn’t have intercalated disks apparent, but shows good interdigitations. Another classic (for the image exam) is Dr. Rhodes might give you an epithelium that looks pseudo strat., but you aren’t certain if it is ciliated or stereocilia. His image may show clumping (not so definitive, even though that is what everybody says), but he may go to super high power and you will see the lack of basal bodies (definitive)–now you know that it is stereocilia.
4. Look at every slide that was referenced in the lab handouts (not necessarily the first lab) from ALL 4 boxes. There are different stains and you should be familiar with all.
5. Pimp each other in lab while you study, such as, “take a look at this and tell me what you think”. Pass the slide upside down to the student (it doesn’t matter if it is upside down or not on the tray).
6. If you are still lost, watch those DVDs. They will help you, even if you already watched them. I watched all of them twice, and some three times (the glandular tissues that you will see next quarter, in particular).
7. Put look alike slides on the tray (you can fit two slides on a tray) and go back and forth, looking at the differences. This is huge for Dense Regular CT and Smooth Muscle. DO NOT rely on the stain. Focus on the nuclei and size of fibers.
That should get you through. I don’t remember if blood is on this lab exam. It will be on the image test, however, and it is a KICK IN THE PANTS! I thought that blood was hardest subject of histo (the differences are so subtle). The DVDs are an absolute MUST for this. DON’T DON’T DON’T waste your time trying to learn the blood in lab–the slides are terrible. Use the DVDs and atlases.
Useful Websites
Boston University (http://www.bu.edu/histology/m/index.htm)–an excellent site for histology lab.
Loyola zoomified histology (http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/Histo/frames/histo_frames.html). A great resource
Histo DVDs (http://web.missouri.edu/~krausew/Histology/Home.html)–probably the most important link for the image and lab exams. MUST WATCH THESE VIDEOS BEFORE LAB!
Virtual Lab (http://www.path.uiowa.edu/virtualslidebox/nlm_histology/content_index_db.html)–wonderful resource to use IN lab. You can look up a structure on your laptop and then ask a fellow to ID it for you.