How I am studying the bones

Because this is the first time I have taken anatomy, I spent half of the first week of medical school just trying to figure out how I was going to learn some 2000+ anatomical structures, observing my classmates and playing around with different approaches. Everyone's learning style is different, and I knew that I had to tailor my study regimen to my own specific needs. I learn well by doing, creating, using. So, this is how I am studying the bones:

First, Dr. Carry created a study guide with all the bones and the bony landmarks that we are responsible for knowing. Bony landmarks are processes or cavities that are important because of their muscle or ligament connections. So, I use this study guide to type outline of all the structures.

Second, I sit down with my anatomy references: 1) an anatomy atlas, 2) the Visible Human Dissector (VHD) program, and 3) actual physical bones. My second-year buddy lent me a Rohen 6th edition atlas, but by far the most popular atlas among my classmates is Netter's because of the beautiful illustrations. The VHD program is a 3D rendering of a man who was photographed in cross-section from head to toe every 1 millimeter. Dr. Carry used this program to create flash images so that important structures become highlighted when you roll the mouse over the structure name. It's an especially useful study tool. Finally, I go up to the bone room to hold real bones, feel their structures, and visualize them in three dimensions. The bone room is located next to the anatomy lab where we do our dissections, and it offers medical students bins of all the bones in the body to hold and play around with, along with a showcase of bones with their landmarks labeled. I have found the bone room to be of most help in my studying.


So, with these three resources, I identify each structure listed in the study guide, describe its general appearance and specific location to myself in words, then type that out in my outline. I also add in any functions, articulations (where one bone abuts against another bone), or attachments to any muscles or ligaments that Dr. Carry included in his study guide. I have found that this helps me on multiple levels: 1) creating an outline shows me what I need to know and offers my first exposure to the material; 2) describing a structure in words helps me to visualize it and solidifies that structure in my mind; 3) describing one structure in relation to other structures forces me to review those other structures, further solidifying them in my mind.

The third step in my study pathway is to transfer this outline of anatomical structures and their definitions into an electronic flash card program. As I do this, I visualize each structure and review its description, location, and functions/attachments. There are several different flash card programs out there. One popular web-based program is iFlipr, but this past week I've been playing around with one called Anki, developed specifically to optimize memory formation and recall. So finally, in my protocol for studying bones and bony landmarks, I go through these flash cards.

I realize that I'm probably over-studying the bones, especially considering that most of the points on the first exam will not come directly from them. However, numerous people of authority told me that it's worth my while to learn the bones well, because muscles and ligaments are named for their attachments. I'm sure that I will have to modify my game plan slightly when I move into studying other areas such as arteries/veins, or nerves.