When you we're doing a medicine or other course...?

Question

What did you do in order to remember things like the skeletal system, parts of the internal organs and they're functions and things like that? I'm very interested in medicine or anatomy for uni and when I did Human Biology in high school, my memory for some of it was always a downer. Are there any pneumatic devices you used to make it easier to remember things, or was it something else? Thanks in advance for all answers!

Answer 1

Okay Ally, first lesson towards your interest in medicine or anatomy. You are looking for mnemonics, not pneumonic devices, because that would mean your were looking for things involving the lungs to help make it easier to remember things. Though the lungs are important in helping us remember things by keeping us alive and providing oxygen that the brain requires, I'm sure this is not what you're looking for. Sorry for the sarcasm.

If you feel that using mnemonics is how you learn best, then for medicine there is a website that has a bunch of mnemonics. I believe it is MedicalMnemonics.com. I am by no means affiliated with them, so this is not spam.

Being a medical student who took anatomy, I will say that for me mnemonics did help, but I did not rely on them heavily. For me, and many others, it was all about repetition. This does not necessarily mean that you have to read pages of boring texts over and over again. You will find that in med school, you really don't have time for that. The repetition I'm getting at has to do with practice questions. In undergrad, I know it is a little difficult to come by practice questions, but they do exist, usually somewhere on the internet. Doing questions in subject areas on a frequent basis should help some of the info stick a bit better. Also, don't get bummed out if you do poorly on practice questions; that will help in review as generally people do learn from their mistakes.

Mnemonics, I feel, is like the icing on a cake. After reading/studying and doing practice questions if you can, the mnemonics help simplify and compartmentalize the info you have stored in that black box in our head we know as the brain. Also, who says you have to use the mnemonics made up by some anonymous person with corny humor. You can certainly make your own. Make them as funny or as lame as you want. The ones you make up would certainly be easier to recall come exam time because they are yours.

One word of caution with mnemonics though, trying to remember too many of them usually ends up with mixing info between different mnemonics or just plain forgetting some of the letters or phrases in the mnemonic.

Best of luck to you in your studies.

Answer 2

I'm not sure there is an easy way. Reading and looking at pics. Just plain studying. Yes, there are some pneumonic sayings, like the crainial nerves.  On Old Olympus Towering Top, A Finn and German Viewed Some Hops.  But you won't use them much except during tests. Best way I think is to just take the course.  Anatomy is great to learn these things.

Answer 3

whatever you do just don't cram but make short notes and refer to it^_^

Answer 4

I remembered them as parts of the most beutiful girl in the batch ,

Answer 5

It all depends on what type of learner you are.  I am a very visual learner so pictures and charts help me a lot.  I tend to make charts for everything and rewrite them multiple times.  Any type of structure, or cycle type mechanism I will also draw out numerous times until I can visualize the picture in my head.  Repetition is key.  

Good Luck!  The hard work will pay off!