Fun and Interesting Ways to Study for Anatomy & Physiology

If you have not already taken an Anatomy & Physiology class, then allow me to enlighten you. This class is different from probably any class you will ever take. At first, it can be daunting, but it has become my all time favorite subject. The anatomy portion of this class is similar to a foreign language class. The majority of it is just learning the lingo and matching it up with the part of the body. Physiology, on the other hand, is more like a biology and chemistry love-child. You will learn everything from the major processes to the tiny molecules that make them happen. This part of the subject is the one that requires the most work to master. Due to the variation of the class, anatomy & physiology requires a few different study methods. Here are a few great resources and methods that I have used to study for this class! As with any study method, some will work better than others, depending on your learning style.

Notecards!

Some of my Anatomy notecards for the skeletal and endocrine systems!

Out of all of the study methods I have used, this is the biggest help. These are especially good for anatomy and some physiology terms too. Since I was blessed with decent art skills, I decided to hand-draw all of my notecards. I know some of my classmates who studied with this method by printing out the different parts and gluing them to the card. If you feel like you would get more out of a professional diagram, or you are just strapped for time, this is a good way to go! Otherwise, I strongly suggest hand-drawing them! Not only is it more fun, but it also helps you get more familiar with the structure of all of the parts you are drawing. It never has to be perfect! As long as you understand what it is and it is mostly anatomically correct, then you are fine! Never put the names of structures on the side of the card with the picture/keyword. I put all of the information about the part on the back of the card, that way I could test myself. To make my notecards more organized, I chose to write the system and a subcategory for each part.  Make it your own! Make the cards as simple or complex as you want. This could be a great study method for A&P, as well as other classes.

I use cards for every subject, not just A&P.

3D Diagram Programs!

Photo retrieved from anatomyzone.com

There are plenty of free 3D diagram apps and webpages out there to help you get a deeper understanding of anatomy. These programs are great at giving you hands-on experience that textbooks and notecards cannot. You can touch, spin, and zoom into the different parts of the body that you may not even be able to do with cadavers. I used AnatomyZone the most in my studies. They have great videos and other resources that go with their 3D atlas of the human body, absolutely free! 

YOUTUBE!

Photo Retrieved from Youtube channel: CrashCourse

The biggest textbook you will ever have is staring you right in the face: Youtube! While some of the videos on here can be questionable, Youtube serves as a great way to learn more about the subject you are learning. One of my favorite resources for a general overview of the different systems is CrashCourse. These helpful little videos are narrated by the popular author, John Green. If you want a good chuckle as you study, or just need a break from the intense information in your textbook, check out his videos! Another way YouTube has helped me with this class is pronunciation! One of my biggest fears with Anatomy lab was that I would pronounce a bone or projection completely wrong. Channels like EmmaSaying will help you with any words that you are not sure on. Khan Academy has plenty of detailed videos that are especially helpful with physiology. They have their own website, but they also post many of their medical-related videos, like the physiology of the heart, here! 

Acronyms and Mnemonics!

When learning both anatomy and physiology, acronyms and mnemonics are extremely helpful. For example, there are so many cranial nerves that it is extremely hard to remember them all without a mnemonic. On a side-note, in college, G-rated mnemonics created by students are rare. So I will probably not post many of them (I would love to share some if you ask, though!). One of the more PG-rated ones that I made up was to determine if the cranial nerve was sensory, motor, or both. It goes: Some Say Money Matters, But My Baby Says Big Butts Matter Most. This goes from cranial nerve 1 to 12, and obviously S is for sensory, M is for motor, and B is for both. I tweaked an existing mnemonic so that it would stick in my brain a bit better. Simply look up a mnemonic or acronym for the subject you are learning, and apply your own words to it. This will help you remember it a bit better.

Coloring Books!

Anatomy coloring book from Amazon.com

I did not necessarily use this in college, but I did use these in high school when I was first learning anatomy and physiology. If you have never taken an anatomy and physiology class, then I highly recommended using these resources! They make learning fun and less stressful, but also help you learn a lot along the way. The coloring books by Wynn Kapit are reportedly the best out of all, and these are the ones I used. There is an anatomy book and a physiology book. The publisher also makes other subjects, like microbiology! So if this resource helps you, definitely look into the other subjects. If you are looking for one or two pages to color, look up "(Your Subject) Coloring Pages" on google, and print some of the free ones offered. I will warn that some of the free ones have been found to be inaccurate and outdated.

I hope that some of these non-traditional and fun approaches to studying will help you better understand anatomy and physiology. I got A's and B's in all of my anatomy and physiology classes using mainly these study methods.

--

Have any other great study methods? Any questions or requests for additional resources? Let me know in the comments! Have a wonderful day, and happy studying! 💜

How to Work Part-Time and still be a Full-Time Student.

Unfortunately, even with my scholarships and loans, my tuition is still not fully covered. I generally have around $1000-2000 in out of pocket payments that I make to the school per semester. Plus, I own a motorcycle and I pay for my own insurance on it. My family has blessed me with covering a lot of other outside costs, and this has really helped me financially. However, I still work part-time year round. Working even just part-time while being a full-time college student is the biggest challenge I have ever faced in my life. Here is a list of great tips on working 20-40 hour weeks on top of class, studying, and social time to help you get through it. Enjoy!

Make Sure Your Employer Will Work With You!

Take it from me, working with an employer who believes work is your number one priority is the worst. It will negatively impact your grades, social life, and stress levels! If you are starting a new semester, let your current employer know as soon as you know what your schedule is. Then work with them on creating a schedule that you can work with. They will greatly appreciate the heads up and the help. Your manager cannot read your mind! Do not make your manager guess what days are good for you, and then get upset when it is not what you wanted.
If you are currently applying for jobs, ask before accepting the job what shifts are available and explain that you are a full time student. You should not be worried about this information impacting the job offering. If they choose not to hire you because of your limited availability, do not get disheartened.  It is in your best interest too! You do not want to be in a situation where you cannot afford school because they do not give you any hours. Getting a good work-school schedule requires being proactive and working with your employer.

Organize Your Day!

I am not a scheduling type of person. However, it is extremely important working part-time and going to school that you create a detailed schedule of your life. This could include making a "To-Do" list, using a scheduling app like Cozi, or just making a schedule in your head. Do not be simple with it. Make it as detailed as possible! For example, instead of saying "go to work, study, eat, sleep", write "Go to work 9AM to 2PM, study Pathophysiology with notecards, complete Microbiology study guide, eat within 30 minute break, look over Anatomy notes, sleep at least nine hours like every college student." This will organize your life and create goals for your day. A study done on productivity tools found that planners and schedules increased productivity and helped provide a feeling of self-fulfillment and pride (Leshed & Sengers, 2011). Scheduling will allow you to increase the productivity and fulfillment of your day. 

Stay Within Your Limits!

Remember, when accepting a job or scheduling with your manager, that you are a human being with human needs. Do not put yourself up to mental and/or physical exhaustion, lack of a social life/fun, or lack of hygiene. This could lead to serious problems like physical and/or mental illness, or losing friendships. In other words, do not accept a 40 hour per week night shift job, get four hours of sleep per night, go to school, and repeat. Remember that life is not all about work! Let yourself have a social life, and do things you want to do. Studying can wait a few hours. That does not mean attend social events every day instead of studying. It just means that you have to do YOU too! Make sure to set limits for studying, work, and social life so that you get the most out of your time.

Enjoy What You Do!

When you are a full time student and a part time employee, life can get stressful. You may not want to go to work some days and you may want to quit school on others. That is completely normal! However, when this happens every single day, there is a problem. You really need to enjoy what you are learning and what you are doing for a living, because this is what the majority of your time is going towards. Suicide is the leading cause of death in college students. Between 2004 and 2009, around 700,000 undergraduate and graduate students committed suicide and died. This study shows that stress and depression are the major factors that caused this to occur. It also states that a major protective factor for suicide is enjoying school and work (SRPC, 2014). Do not allow your lack of enjoyment ruin your mental health. Find your passion in school and in work! If you do not like your major, change it! If you do not like your job, change it! Do not worry about how it will look on your resume, because it does not matter if you are not enjoying your time on this planet. Enjoy what you do with your life!

Working part time and being a full time student is hard. Yet, it is not impossible! You can do this!

--

Do you have any tips for surviving work and school? Suggestions on how I can better help you? Let me know in the comments! I would be happy to help! Also, I will be posting bi-weekly from now on, as school and work is getting busy! (I am staying within my limits and organizing my days! ;D) Have a wonderful day! 💜

References

Leshed, G & Sengers, P. (2011). "I lie to myself that I have freedom in my own schedule": Productivity tools and experiences of busyness. ACM. pg. 905-914. Retrieved from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1979077

SRPC. (2014). Suicide among college and university student in the United States. Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Retrieved from http://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/migrate/library/SuicideAmongCollegeStudentsInUS.pdf

That Time I *Almost* Missed My A&P Final!

Winter finals are just around the corner. If you are anything like me, these next few weeks will be filled with sleep deprivation, a billion cups of coffee, and notes scattered around your desk. I decided that instead of overloading brains with more information, I would tell you a funny experience about one of my finals last semester.

It was the Spring 2016 semester when I had Anatomy and Physiology II. Finals week was in full swing and my brain was running only on three cups of coffee. Right before the class, I got together with one of my good friends for lunch. We put in some last minute study time for about an hour before heading to our class. Normally, I went in through the east side of the building, but I followed my friend through the west side this time. She went off to the bathroom and told me that she would meet me in class, so I went on.... I had my review guide written on my phone, so I was studying as I walked down the hall to the class. I let muscle memory kick in and I went in to the first class on the right as I usually do. I went to my seat, memorizing the types of hormones released by the anterior pituitary gland. After a while, I looked up to see two students putting a makeshift straw-candle in a cookie they got from the student union. A guy walked up and they whisper-shouted "Happy Birthday!! We can't light it, obviously, but make a wish!" They all laughed. That is about the time that I realized that there were three more minute left until the exam and my friend was still nowhere to be found. I just ignored it and went back to my studies. 

When I looked back up, it was five minute in to the class. That was weird. I took a deep breath and slipped my phone into my backpack. My professor was still not there. In fact, neither my professor or my Teacher's Assistant was there. The new professor started passing out the tests and I shrugged. Maybe my professor was sick and my Teacher's Assistant was out too? I took a second to close my eyes and take three deep breaths. When I opened them, I looked down at the test that was put in front of me. What the heck was this?! I did not recognize a single thing on this test! I looked around at the others in a panic.

That is when it hit me.

I did not recognize a single person in this class. The Teacher's Assistant was not the same. My professor was not the same. I turned to the girl next to me to ask which class this was.

"Uhh. Biochemistry?"

Without saying a word, I grabbed my bag and ran down the steps and out the door, in front of two hundred or more students staring at me. I had gone to the first door on the right like I usually do, yes, but I went in on the other side of the building! At this point, twenty minutes of my class had passed already. I burst into the room and all of my classmates stared at me at once. But I did not care. I ran to my professor and dropped my bag on the floor. I started to explain, but he just held his hand up. "It's fine. Just be more quiet." I snatched the test from his hands and ran to my seat.

I had twenty more minutes left to take this forty question final. Yet, by some miracle of God, I finished with two minutes to spare. It took everything in me to hold back the laughter until I handed in the test. After the TA walked away from me with my exam, I just started busting up laughing. Now, we get a zero if we look anywhere but down at your test or up at the ceiling. So I just started looking straight up at the ceiling, laughing and crying to myself like a frickin' maniac, because I just walked into the wrong class and did not realize it for a whole twenty minutes on finals day...

Luckily, and I am not sure how, I got a 92% on that exam. The moral of the story is this: do not be frightened these next few weeks as you go into these finals! You definitely cannot screw up as much as I did last semester.

Good luck, everyone!

-----

Do you have any funny finals and test stories? What else can I do to make your college life less stressful? Let me know in the comments! Also, as of next week, I will be switching to bi-weekly posts. :) Have a wonderful day! 💜