Reflecting on my anatomy knowledge

The practice of Veterinary Physiotherapy requires a great understanding of an animals’ abilities and limitations in relation to their structure and function (Higgins and Martin, 2012). In-depth knowledge of anatomy is a critical part of musculoskeletal medicine (Acton, 2012; Sugand, Abrahams and Khurana, 2010). Prior to commencing this course I felt I had a good understanding of anatomy. After the first couple of lectures I soon realised that what I would be learning stretched far beyond the knowledge I had.

I was attending lectures which I did not fully understand, hearing words that I had never heard before and soon realised that I would have to work very hard on this module. On realising my lack of familiarity, I decided to review the lecture topics prior to attending lectures. Looking at the topics a few days before the lecture meant I could relate to what I was being taught and therefore reach an understanding. Moravec et al. (2010) demonstrated that learning prior to lectures can result in a substantial increase in learning gains, however, further research is needed to determine if this is the case for learning across all subjects. Personally, the difference in my learning ability was substantial and I hope to continue this method in the future.

In addition, I was unaware of the benefits of dissection classes on my learning. I had never completed a dissection before and, to be honest, I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to it. Referring to dissection, Guttmann, Drake and Trelease (2004) state that it is inevitable that the extent we experience hands-on aspects of education directly affects learning abilities. Contradicting this, Topp (2004) believes that dissection is unnecessary in medical education. I found these lectures highly beneficial, what I was learning on paper was translated to visuals, aiding in my grasp of the subject. Furthermore, I felt my learning abilities between the first and second lecture drastically increased because of knowing what to expect and learning before lectures, as previously mentioned. I am disappointed that we do not have any further dissection classes as I feel one more would tie all my gained knowledge together. It has been said that problems in learning abilities are somewhat due to lack of time for dissection (Sugand, Abrahams and Khurana, 2010).

Although I no doubt have a lot more to learn I have made progress since the start of this course as a result of dissections, learning before lectures, revision and the use of learning aids such as flash cards, Dictaphone and visual aids. I am becoming more and more anxious about the deadlines and exams, yet, sticking to my personal development plan, motivation and hard work will hopefully see me through it.

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Reference List

Acton, Q.A., 2012. Issues in Discovery, Experimental, and Laboratory medicine. Scholarly Editions. Georgia.

Guttmann, G.D., Drake, R.L. and Trelease, R.B., 2004. To what extent is cadaver dissection necessary to learn medical gross anatomy? A debate forum. The Anatomical Record Part B: The New Anatomist, 281(1), pp.2-3.

Higgins, G. and Martin, S., 2012. Horse Anatomy for Performance. David & Charles.

Moravec, M., Williams, A., Aguilar-Roca, N. and O'Dowd, D.K., 2010. Learn before lecture: a strategy that improves learning outcomes in a large introductory biology class. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 9(4), pp.473-481.

Sugand, K., Abrahams, P. and Khurana, A., 2010. The anatomy of anatomy: a review for its modernization. Anatomical sciences education, 3(2), pp.83-93.

Topp, K.S., 2004. Prosection vs. dissection, the debate continues: rebuttal to Granger. The Anatomical Record Part B: The New Anatomist, 281(1), pp.12-14.