Anatomy is one of the hardest courses that all medical students take their first semester. There are a TON of resources out there to help you survive this course. Although I am only 1/4 of the way done with the course, I have a few favorite resources! I have listed below apps and books that are currently helping me survive.
- Anatomy: A Photographic Atlas by Rohen: This book is a MUST. Rohen’s Atlas is truly a beautiful book with phenomenal pictures of every aspect of the human body. It is helpful to browse through before and after anatomy lab in order to clarify structures at your own pace. I also used this book the day before the anatomy practical in order to review structures.
- Atlas of Anatomy by Gilroy: My school actually gave all students this book and at first I was critical because there weren’t pictures of the actual human body in this book. It was purely drawings of what it should like on the human body. But this has become an integral part of my daily studying. It is nice to see what a muscle or bone or nerve is “supposed” to look like while learning the material. Although structures may be similar in the cadavers, most likely there will be differences that may make learning information the first time more difficult. Thus, I liked to review this book while learning information about each part before and after lab.
- Essential Anatomy 5: This is an app that can be downloaded via the app store for $20. I enjoy this app because you can peel layers of the human body to see different aspects. For example, I was having a difficult time understanding layers from superficial to deep of the back muscle, this app allowed me to peel off each layer and see how the body would look at that specific point. You can also break it down by systems as well.
Although these are 3 of my most used resources, I definitely use my lecture material and my cadaver the most. So don’t forget to utilize the resources that are given to you in class first and use these options as a supplementary tool. Good luck studying!
