Survival Guide (s r-v v l g d) , n.
1. Everything you wanted to know about medical school but were too afraid to ask.
2. a. An invaluable resource helping new students navigate the labyrinth of medical school academics and social affairs.
b. The conduit in which wisdom is passed from previous generations to current one.
3. Opportunity to use “tongue in cheek” humor and give shout outs to your friends (Go Jake! Love, the Nursing School)
Origin: Chicago, IL circa 2005-2006
Compliments of the M2 Class
A PDF version of the guide is available.
Welcome to the greatest medical school in the world (well, in my humble opinion, anyway)! You’re probably a little overwhelmed right about now, but to quote Douglas Adams: Don’t Panic! It’s a crazy new universe you have suddenly found yourself in, but with a little help from this guide and your older, illustrious, and more experienced class-mates (i.e. Us the M2s) in a short while you’ll wonder if there was ever anything else to life (no, seriously, you won’t comprehend why your family doesn’t want you pulling out Netter during dinner to explain what an esophageal fistula is, and why they don’t understand what you’re saying when you do).
So what is this magical thingie that you have in your hands? This guide is designed to start you on the right track. It might not answer all of your questions, but hopefully it’ll ramble on and wander in circles enough that you will have forgotten the question by the time you’re done… or at least point you in the right direction to find those answers. It is intended that this Survival Guide will act as an aide, not an instruction manual, and help you find your own answers rather than prepackaged ones. The best advice we can give you right now is DON’T FREAK OUT, everything will come to you in due time, we promise.
Use these. Seriously. We’re not kidding. Do it. Don’t make me come over there…
In addition to this guide, we would like to direct you to other sources that will contain a lot of useful information that will be helpful during your careers at the Big U.
Student Web Site
This is a great place to find class information, post questions, and track down other resources. Last year most of us used it to download extra class materials (like co-op notes and digital images of the anatomy radiographs), but it’s a good place to post general questions, find answers, and make known any social events. We’ve been working on getting more faculty participation and class information on the website, while including such items as restaurant guides, city information, and entertainment ideas. Hopefully, this endeavor will continuously expand and your class will get even more use out of it than we did.
Student Handbook
This is that little book put together by Meredith and Jill that you get during orientation with the planner in it, and that half of us barely even glance at (other than to ostensibly use the planner for a few weeks in some doomed attempt to become organized). This “little book” is a “gold mine” of “information” that you should definitely “take advantage of.” Seriously, facetious quotated commentations aside, this book has everything: Student services, campus resources, academic support services, policies and regulations, student organizations, and even basic Chicago “getting around” info (mmmm, quotated commentations…).
Fellow Medical Students – especially M2s and Big Sibs
Take advantage of your classmates! This is the very best advice we can give you. We’re nice people, honest, and we don’t bite (hard). The best thing about Rush is how approachable and friendly everyone is. Usually, the quickest way to find what you need, whether it’s advice on a class, where to pick up men and/or women, or where the best 2 AM gyros are (ask HR), is to ask someone who’s been there and done that.
Faculty, Advisors, etc.
These are the people that stand at the front of the class yelling incomprehensible things at you about “IgG” and Stroke Volume, but prepare yourself for this: They’re actually really nice people, and they even want to help! Ask them about class, ask them about life, ask them about the best place to get a mean bowl of fried rice – you’ll be surprised by how helpful they can be. Most of the faculty actually want to you pass, do well, and become good doctors, and most of them will bend over backwards to help you however they can. So go out there and introduce yourself, and don’t be intimidated by their white coats and graying (or thinning) hair.
· Do get to know people. Your classmates, Big Sib, advisors, professors, and others will become valuable sources of information and support. They might even become lifelong friends.
· Do realize early on that the 3rd, 6th, and 8th floors of the Armour Academic Center do not exist. Any errand you are sent on that involves these floors is clearly fictitious.
· Do wear your student ID at all times while at Rush University Medical Center. Students will need a valid I.D. card to use the Library, to shop in the Bookstore and to cash checks. I.D. cards may also be used as copy cards after being activated by the McCormick Educational Technology Center (METC) staff, Room 919. Lost or stolen I.D. cards must be reported and replaced, at a cost of $10.00. Your I.D. card allows you access to the METC computer labs (917 AAC) and the Student Lounge (984 AAC) after hours. Contact the Office of the Registrar for more information regarding I.D. cards or card policies. · Do take advantage of Rush’s tutors. All of us entered medical school with the misguided notion that you only need a tutor if you are having difficulty in a course. Everyone uses them. Not only do they provide an excellent review of material from class, but give you a great idea of what will be on the exam…and go to the practice practical they set up.
· Do follow your own learning style. It really doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you learn the material. You’ve been in school long enough to know how you learn best, so keep going with what works. FYI, classes are seldom mandatory.
· Do take advantage of Rush’s computer lab. The McCormick Educational Technology Center (METC) is located on the 9th floor of the Armour Academic Center. Your professors will place reserve materials here, such as laser discs and videos, and these are commonly used as visuals on the practical exams. Don’t make the mistake of thinking they are unimportant.
· Do learn to eat for free. There are countless meetings, seminars, and lectures held every day that provide free food. Check your email for announcements or just find that one guy (Figi) who always knows where the free food is.
· Do get involved. If medical school is providing you with a wealth of free time or you just loved to be involved, here is something to alleviate that problem. There are endless committees, projects, and organizations to participate in. Find out by, once again, checking your email on a regular basis. Usually free food is involved.
· Do attend the TGIF parties. About every month there is a TGIF party. Beer, wine, soda and food are provided for staff and students. This is an opportunity to diversify your social group and recognize that the professors are humans too. Plus it’s an opportunity to let loose and even meet some other schools…Nursing and OT students, oh my!
· Do take time for yourself. Medical school may consume a significant portion of your time, but don’t lose your zest for being social and doing the things which define you. Enjoy the bars on Taylor Street, play some poker or have a Grey’s Anatomy Party…
· Do explore the city. Chicago is a great city, but most of the “tourist trap” publications are marketing hype that attempt to funnel our sector of the demographic into the club scene. If that’s your bag, pick up a Reader or Chicago Scene and have at it. If not, hook up with a local classmate or ask your Big Sib about fun and interesting activities. There are countless cultural pursuits that don’t involve partying and some that do.
Don’t...
· Don’t worry if you fall behind. Because you will: It is one of the great and unyielding truths of your new reality. Study at your own pace, learn as you go along, and review material as much as possible. This may sound radical, but weekends at the library are a good time to catch up on what you’ve seen during the week. Know this: as much as you are reviewing and learning, everyone crams for finals.
· Don’t buy your books until you have talked to your Big Sib. Read the last statement again. Your Big Sib will tell you which books worked best for them and they may be different from the ones recommended by the course director. Also speak to other 2nd year students, and even try checking out someone else’s copy of a book first – everyone will have a different opinion and sometimes the book that one person uses to prop up their coffee table is the book that saved another person’s life (because med school books are quite thick and can even stop bullets if you happen to be wondering east on Taylor…). Your Big Sib might also be able to save you dollars by loaning or selling you their books from last year.
· Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Rush has many resources to help you - classmates, your Big Sib, your advisor, course directors, tutors, and the Student Counseling Center, to name a few. They’ll be happy to help, all you have to do is ask!
· Don’t socially isolate yourself. Seriously. Sure medical school is tough, but you need to take breaks occasionally and get away from the books. If you find yourself studying all day on Saturday, take the evening off and have a night on the town. If you find yourself locked in a room on the 9th floor until 2 am, try studying with a partner in the library next time. You can’t do this alone, so don’t try – you’ll be much happier!
· Don’t walk alone at night. Even if you are just heading to and from Center Court and have sweet skills, “like nun chuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills...”- there are some strange folk around at night. Have someone walk you to your car (even in the parking garage), or get a free ride from Rush Security (telephone 312-942-5678). If you are in Armour, use a wall phone and dial 2-5678 – everyone uses them and they’re used to picking up medical students at all hours.
· Don’t worry! There’s a stellar piece of advice. A better admonition would add “too much.” Stress is what helps you focus, but realize this: it is just work and devoting the time to learn will bear fruit now (passed exams) and dividends later (professional skill). We were all overwhelmed the first week and chomping at the bit to start classes…and worried about already falling behind. Everyone here has been drawn from a pool of overachievers and, as such, we tend to obsess about detail. Relax and breathe deeply. Getting in was the stressful and difficult portion; now you just have to learn.
Good advice:
You may not feel like going out, but take yourself by the scruff and throw yourself out there. Even if you’re not the partying sort, or you would rather make plans with people you already know, force yourself to be social with your new classmates instead. It’ll make the first (and hardest) few months of adjusting a lot easier, and just remember that everyone else is nervous and worried, too – none of us are alone.
· Armour Academic Center a.k.a The Academic Facility: Explore it, since you’ll probably end up spending a lot of time here. Everyone calls it the Academic Facility, or Ac. Fac. for short, but occasionally someone says “Armour” just to confuse you. Also check out the bridges connecting the Medical Center buildings.
· Your Main Locker (fifth, seventh, and ninth floors of the Academic Facility): a.k.a. your anatomy locker, where you will probably keep your normal clothes while in anatomy lab, but also a good place to dump extra books during those long stints in the Ac. Fac.
· The Library (entrance on the fifth floor of the Ac. Fac.): Plenty of good study space on the second floor, including “secret” areas hidden around corners and in the back.
· METC (the computer lab, on the ninth floor of the Ac. Fac.): Check it out. Tons of programs to help with your studies – try to take advantage of them!
· The Multi-Disciplinary Laboratories (a.k.a. the “MDLs”, seventh floor of the Ac. Fac.)
· The Bookstore (first floor of the Ac. Fac.): Where you buy your books and Rush stuff. They actually have pretty good prices, and their equipment (stethoscopes etc.) is competitively priced.
· The Cafeteria (second floor of the Ac. Fac.): It’s what you’d expect from a cafeteria, but we all end up eating there at some point in time (especially when they give us free meal tickets). A side note: In a Rush is the coffee place to your left as you enter the cafeteria that does various cappuccino-type items. Neither In a Rush nor the Cafeteria have great hours, so you’ll often end up at Au Bon Pain.
· The Atrium and Au Bon Pain (fourth floor of the Atrium Building): If you drink coffee and/or study late at the Academic Facility, you will probably end up spending a lot of money at Au Bon Pain. Pastries, sandwiches, coffee, etc., and open 24 hours/day. Daily ½ price bake sale 10-11pm, and everything is 25% off from 3 am – 7 am.
· Room 500 (fifth floor of the Professional Building): Mmmm, good food. “Members only” club with all-you-can-eat buffet, so go whenever you’re invited.
· Bursar/Cashier/Financial Aid/Registrar (fourth floor of the Ac. Fac.)
· Student Lounge & Student Affairs (ninth floor of the Ac. Fac.)
· Cash machines (fourth floor Ac. Fac., behind elevators)
· Stamp machine (next to ABP on the 4th floor in the hospital near the elevators)
· ABP (Half Price on Baked Goods from 10PM-11PM, M-F)
Our Student Website
We mentioned it once. Now here’s a whole page devoted to it. Why? Because we really want people to use it. (Plus we deleted a bunch of stuff from this to save paper and rainforests and stuck it on the web site. Nobody ever made it that far in the old guide anyway – who was to know that there was a section on where to get postage stamps in the medical center?..... Vending machine hiding in the corner outside the Atrium Gift Store, in case you were wondering)
What’s it got?
Note: As of right now, you still need to sign up for the Message Boards and the other stuff separately (this took me almost 9 months to figure out…), but it’s painless and easy to do!
Most important - the website was created by students and needs talented students to perpetuate!
The Future: The website is still growing and changing, so make suggestions and encourage others to take advantage of it. New sections are being added, along with reformatting of old sections, including information from old survival guides such as the Restaurant/Bar/Nightclub section (currently still in its infancy). Keep an eye out for bigger and better things!
Med school is tough.
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the skinny:
1st year – Basic sciences
Anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, etc. plus a few “extras” like Ethics, and some classes aimed at making you a better doctor and hopefully preventing you from freaking out and running down the hall screaming the first time you see a patient in your clinical rotations (which doesn’t do much for patient confidence).
2nd year – Mostly Clinical sciences
Pathophysiology, pharmacology, microbiology, etc. and a few extras for good measure.
Good news: There are a billion resources available to assist you on your journey through these trying times.
Bad news: There are a billion resources available. Seriously. Tons of them. So many that if you try to use them all, you’ll never make it. So find those that work, and drop those that don’t. It’s good to approach things from many angles, but too many angles and you won’t know up from down, let alone the LAD from the great cardiac vein…
More advice: Find a study strategy that works for you.
Think back to what worked well in undergrad, adapt and change. And don’t be afraid to admit that your “tried and true” method of old just doesn’t cut it anymore.
One last thing: You can’t know everything. Accept it and make the best of what you have.
If you’re like me, one of your pet peeves is when people misuse words. The “syllabi” everyone talks about are really a collection of the course lecturer’s notes that you will be wedded to for the next two years of your life, and these notes can be pretty extensive (some can be scant, though, so check with your Big Sibs and check out a class or two – don’t skip a lecture only to find out it’s summarized by a single incomprehensible figure in the syllabus unless you know you can get good notes from a friend). In most classes, the syllabus will be your major study tool because most lecturers will base the bulk of their exam material on what they have presented in class. (Huge exception: Anatomy)
“Am I getting anything out of this?” is the litmus test. Check out the lecturer to gauge their presentation style, and then determine the relative utility. Time is precious, so don’t waste it on something unfruitful. That said, there is a social dividend to be gained in attending lecture and it gives you the “feel” that you’re in medical school and not simply taking a correspondence course. Some of the lecturers are amazingly intelligent, entertaining, and well-spoken. Perennially popular classes include: Anatomy, Neurobiology, and Immunology.
The wonderful world of the METC is at your disposal. Visual learners will love the wide array of videos, slides, computer programs, and laserdisc—that’s right, I said it…laserdiscs, as in pizza sized cd’s. Rush is the last LD stronghold left in the free world. Most classes with a practical (a.k.a. lab) component will have a list of these A/V resources in the front of their syllabi. Use the laserdiscs for Histology and Dr. Hughes’s computer program for Neuro in the spring. The Anatomy videos and programs are very good.
Most classes will give you a list of “required” texts, and will normally include reading assignments in their lecture notes. How much you follow these assignments (and even whether you should buy the book) is really up to you. More than a few M1s before you have passed without even seeing most of the books. On the other hand, textbooks can be a great reference to have when the lecture notes make no sense. Also, if you absorb things best by reading and/or if you don’t go to class, reading the book is probably a good idea. Again, consult your Big Sibs.
Aside from the “required” textbooks, there are also several “recommended” textbooks and different sets of board review books (BRS, NMS, Lippincott etc). Find out from this guide or your Big Sibs which books are best for each subject. These books can be very helpful, but you might not get to them with everything else.
Where to get books (listed from most desirable to most painful):
· Your Big Sibs: Before you run out and buy an expensive book, make sure your Big Sibs don’t have one that he or she is willing to give/loan/sell you.
· Rush Library: This is a good technique if you want to examine a book before you buy it, or if you will only rarely use it (word of warning: there are normally only a copy or two of each book, and if someone else is using it the night before the exam, you’re S.O.L.).
· Random People Selling Old Books: You’ll periodically get e-mails from M2s, M3s, and M4s who are either moving on or who really need a couple of dollars for a drink Friday night and so have finally decided to part with their treasured M1 books. Make sure you check the book out before buying – if you’re a purist you may not want someone else’s marks all over your book!
· AMSA book sale: Sometimes you get good stuff, sometimes you get versions of books that were outdated in 1970… sort of. If you can hold out for this and make it early (before the good stuff is gone), it might save you a few dollars.
· Rush Bookstore: The bookstore has pretty decent prices, but you’re still going to pay through the nose for new books. Some people prefer figuring out which books they want, and then searching for cheaper places on the web (check the bookstore’s prices first, though – after shipping you may not be saving any money at all!).
Most classes will require that you hand in both your scantron answer sheet and your test booklet/handout after an exam, but some don’t. For those that don’t, course directors will place old exams on reserve at the library or post it on the Rush E-Learn Website (stay tuned to your syllabi for details). These are very high-yield. Make sure that you look them over: plastic and paper aren’t the only things recycled here at Rush.
Humans (humans are people too):
I reiterate: The professors at Rush actually want you to succeed, and the vast majority will go out of their way to help you. If you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed in a particular class, set up an appointment with them. Key point: the majority of them will tell you what will and won’t be on the exam. Many schedule review sessions or conferences. Take advantage of their good will.
The Rush tutoring system is done in a small group format (usually 5-7 people). Everyone does it and it’s free. Tutor groups meet once a week for review sessions and they tend to focus on material for the practical portions of the exams. This is hugely valuable.
Dr. Robert Leven is in charge of the tutoring program. Tutors are available for most classes, and the respective course directors will tell you how to sign up for Anatomy and Histo tutors in the first week of the fall quarter. Most information will come to you via e-mail.
Dr. Leven coordinates this program as well. Basically, a group of students is assigned two advisors: a basic scientist and a clinician. The expectation is that you will meet with your advisors as a group at least once per quarter, and one-on-one once a year. People’s experiences with their advisors will vary widely. Advisors are there to provide you with help in career planning. They can also be a good resource in times of academic distress by providing you with a different perspective on things. You may have to take some initiative if you want a good relationship with your advisors – many of them run clinics and lead busy lives, but they all want to help.
The Big Sib program was a little rough last year as we transitioned to a new format, but your Big Sibs can be your best friends in these first uncertain days of med school. Don’t be afraid to contact them and take some initiative if you haven’t heard from them in a bit – they’ll give you advice, perhaps float you some textbooks, and provide you with some perspective about coping and scheduling your life. Just don’t forget that they are individuals and can only lend wisdom from their subjective experience. Use your e-mail to stay in touch and keep them abreast of how you’re doing. Let them help you.
You’ll cleave to each other during the stressful times and serve as an information network about class material and who is dating whom. Share all you know with them and think in a fashion that is inclusive rather than exclusive. Isolate yourself with only a couple of classmates and you’ll miss out on a lot!
Yup. We have exams. And grades (sort of). But all you really have to do is pass…
How, you ask?
· Most classes have a midterm and a final exam, and these consist primarily of multiple-choice questions answered on a Scantron. Yet another warning: “Who knew they could make a multiple choice test this hard?” is something that we’ve all said over the last year.
· Some classes (e.g., Histology, Neurobiology) also use extended-matching questions (i.e. you must choose from the same 10 to 15 answers for a series of several different questions, and answers may be used more than once). These questions are a boon if you know your material and a stumbling block if you don’t.
· Additionally, Anatomy, Histology, and Neurobiology exams include practical portions where you must look at something (i.e., a slide or, in the case of Anatomy, a human body) and answer a fill-in-the-blank question about its identity and/or function. The limited time component of these exams makes them exceptionally “interesting.”
· During the pre-clinical years (the first two years of medical school), Rush uses an honors/pass/fail grading system. Specific grading policies vary, but all courses use the same general scheme. Normally the MPL (minimum passing level) is around a 70% or 1.5 standard deviations below the mean (whichever is lower), but never lower than 55% (Rush policy), while honors is usually either above 90%, above 1.5 standard deviations above the mean, or meeting whatever random criteria (i.e. names from a hat) the course director comes up with (normally giving the top 10-15% of the class honors, though).
· Grades are usually posted a few days after the test, either outside the lecture halls, the Anatomy lab, or on the internet (i.e. Physiology website). You’ll be assigned an anonymity number (three digits) for the duration of your stay here at Casa de Rush, and you’ll fill this in on the test. All grades will be posted by anonymity number (i.e. 007 = 98%, go James…) Please don’t forget this…it rains on the collective class parade when someone fills in the wrong number or leaves a blank.
· Consult the syllabus or the course director of each class for specific grading requirements, as they can be quite variable from class to class (and from year to year).
These pages will help you to get oriented to the array of classes that will fill your 9-5 days around Rush for the next year or so.
James M. Williams, Ph.D. - 312-942-5502
Laura Thorp, Ph.D. - 312-942-5501
Erin Flanagan-Klygis. M.D. – 312-942-2200
Winter: Ada Cole, Ph.D. - 312-942-4879
Spring: Gabriella Cs-Szabo, Ph.D. - 312-942-2255
William Elliot, M.D., Ph.D. - 312-942-3133Maurice Lemon, M.D., MPH – 312-864-7229
Robert Leven, Ph.D. – 312-942-6779
Chris Grote, Ph.D. – 312-942-5523
Thomas Hoeppner, Ph.D. - 312-942-5943
W. Franklin Hughes, Ph.D. - 312-942-6783
Fall: Tom Shannon, Ph.D. - 312-942-6754
Winter: Dirk Gillespie, Ph.D. – 312-942-3089
Cynthia Waickus, M.D. - 312-942-7083
Andem Ekpenyong, M.D. - 312-942-5566
Toshi Uchida, M.D. – 312-942-8381
Basic Immunology
Thomas Lint, Ph.D. – 312-942-3513
Larry Thomas, Ph.D. – 312-942-3518
Behavioral ScienceWinter: Chris Grote, Ph.D. - 312-942-5523Spring : Dr. Joyce Corsica – 312-942-2002
2005 Fall Quarter Course Hours
Course |
Title |
Hours |
|
ANA 451 |
Histology |
Lecture: 29 Lab: 54 |
|
ANA 471 |
Human Anatomy I |
Lecture: 41 Lab: 59 |
|
BHV 481 |
Ethics in Medicine |
Lecture/Small Group: 15 |
|
PCM 500 |
Introduction to Patient |
Lecture/Small Group: 16 |
|
PCM 511 |
Interviewing & Communication |
Lecture/Small Group: 13 |
|
PCM 521 |
Preceptorship |
Lecture: 1 At Preceptor’s: ~8 |
|
PVM 531 |
Introduction to Preventive Medicine |
Lecture: 9 |
|
PHY 451 |
Physiology I |
Lecture: 35 Lab/Workshop: 20 |
2006 Winter Quarter Course Hours
| Course | Title | Hours |
|
ANA 472 |
Human Anatomy II |
Lecture: 26 Lab: 47 |
|
BCH 471 |
Biochemistry I |
Lecture: 45 Workshop: 4 |
|
BHV 482 |
Ethics in Medicine II |
Lecture/Small Group: 14 |
|
PCM 522 |
Preceptorship |
At Preceptor’s: ~8 |
|
PCM 532 |
Medical Decision Making |
Lecture/Small Group: 9 |
|
PHY 452 |
Physiology II |
Lecture: 34 Lab/Workshop: 16 |
2006 Spring Quarter Course Hours
| Course | Title | Hours |
|
BCH 472 |
Biochemistry II |
Lecture: 39 |
|
BHV 451 |
Fundamentals of Behavior |
Lecture/Small Group: 21 |
|
BHV 453 |
Behavior in the Life Cycle |
Lecture: 21 |
|
IMM 505 |
Basic Immunology |
Lecture: 30 |
|
NEU 451 |
Neurobiology |
Lecture: 68 Lab: 7 |
|
PCM 523 |
Preceptorship |
At Preceptor’s: ~8 |
Course Director: James M. Williams, Ph.D. – Email: James_M_William@rush.edu
Dr. William’s Office Telephone: 312-942-3598
Other Instructors:Susan K. Jacob, Ph.D.Robert Leven, Ph.D.D. Rick Sumner, Ph.D.Laura Thorp, Ph.D.Frank Hughes, Ph.D Course Description
The great thing about Rush’s Anatomy course is the lack of detail that you are expected to know come test time. OK, that’s a lie. Anatomy is your opportunity, and oh what a glorious opportunity it is, to learn more muscles, bones, arteries, veins, nerves, and layers of fascia then you ever thought existed (what the heck is fascia?!?!). The course is divided into lectures and labs and the exams have both a written and practical portion. The course is two quarters long (fall and winter) and most students found tutoring throughout the length of the course to be a valuable resource.
The schedule:
Fall midterm: back and thorax
Fall final [cumulative]: abdomen, pelvis, and perineum (The perineum is just the worst! You think you know what’s going on down there? You have no idea.)
Winter midterm: upper and lower extremities
Winter final: head and neck
Embryology is incorporated throughout the units with one or two embryo lectures per anatomical region.
The Breakdown
This course has both large lectures and small group laboratory sections.
The lecture notes, for the first time, will be grouped together rather than passed out at the beginning of each class. The notes for each region will be given to you when you begin learning that region. The quality of lecture notes vary from one professor to another and teaching styles vary from Dr. Williams’s fill in the blank style to Dr. Jacob’s “follow me as I take a look at the mediastinum from a posterior view” style (a.k.a. the ‘Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood’ style). Sprinkled throughout the general information lectures are embryology and guest lectures. The embryology is included on the exams but the clinical correlations given by the guest lecturers are not. However, some of the most interesting anatomy lectures are the clinical correlations so you’ll be sorry if you miss them (they’re a rare chance in your first year to see how all this stuff you’re learning is used in the real world).
Each quarter has a midterm and final exam. In the fall, the midterm is worth 40% of your total grade and the final is worth the other 60%. In the winter, both exams are 50%. Each exam is broken down into a written and practical part each of which is worth 50% of your total exam grade. The first part of your examination is the practical and consists of stations where you have to name whatever is labeled on a cadaver, x-ray, bone or cross section. The written exam is multiple-choice questions and covers everything mentioned in the general and embryology lectures (and even some things that aren’t mentioned!!! So read your Chung or Grey’s!). If you find yourself wondering while studying ,“Is this seemingly irrelevant factoid I just discovered going to be on the written?”…the answer is definitely.
Honors were given for scores of 90% or higher.
Almost everyone uses a tutor for anatomy, and some people prefer to use one-on-one tutoring. Tutoring is a good way to force you to keep up with the laboratory portion of the course since tutoring groups meet weekly. In addition, your tutor can help you find structures that you couldn’t find in lab. Probably the best reason to go to tutoring is that you get a chance to spend some time with other groups’ dissections which is important if you want to do well on the practical.
Keep your specimen moist, your scalpels sharp, and your eyes open. Read/skim the dissector before lab and do not hesitate to spray your cadaver frequently and liberally during your dissections. In addition, when dissecting, work from “known to unknown.” This means finding your orientation with the help of important “landmarks” then proceeding to the untouched, unmarked areas. In so doing you will avoid cutting or damaging delicate structures (nerves, veins, and lymphatics). As you might have guessed, this approach requires advanced planning. Finally, when it is time for the practical, we suggest that you pull very gently on the structures to observe distant attachments. This technique will help to confirm your guesses. However, be careful not to tear anything!
Everybody is responsible for their own gloves and scalpel blades. Before your first lab buy a small box of gloves and a few blades. Once you figure out who’s in your lab group you can decide how you’re going to share the cost of blades, gloves and a dissector (and maybe even an atlas). Bring a change of clothes to lab on day one that you can leave in your locker and, once the course is over, never ever, for the love of all that is good in this world, wear again. If you decide against the purple nitrile gloves, you can purchase latex gloves by the metric ton at Costco or Sam’s for a drastically reduced price compared to the bookstore.
Lecture Tips
The instructors lecture at a fast pace and it is good to examine the material before hand. Some lectures will require clarification from text references in order to fully understand the material. Study your notes until you can recite everything from memory, then study your atlas until the drawings and labels are permanently etched into your brain. This requires time and effort, but it is the standard! Spend time in lab examining as many cadavers as possible and note the variations among them. Additionally, use mnemonics and come up with your own. You may feel that the use of mnemonics is beneath you, but use them anyway!