And it’s official. One of the two initial classes has concluded. This past weekend we finished the gross anatomy portion of the summer session. Quiz on Saturday and written lecture and lab final on Sunday.
By the end of the week, I was pretty over studying the same seven powerpoint lectures. With studying and “balancing” work, there were days I was over it. Not another insertion to memorize, not another branch of some arterial network, and not another muscle “action” to review.
One would think working through the week would help prevent the memorization. While that is true, you don’t necessarily treat with muscle “action” but you treat with muscle “function.”
Saturday.
It was a formality. There was our last quiz and just a long review session. Spending most of the day in the cadaver lab can certainly test your patience. And then the latter half of the day just looking over slides and notes over and over again. By 6 pm, I don’t think anything was sticking in my head but I kept reading it over again.
Sunday.
Early start. Written lecture portion. Lab portion. And then the wait begins. Since we went over the lab portion right after we took it, you start to calculate your grade thinking “I got this one right or that one wrong.” So you can see the nervousness in other classmates or the moments of “Yes! I got that one right.” As mentioned there was a waiting period between the two exams, inevitably everyone is just talking about what the answer to this question was or what the answer to number 19 was.
And then…..oddly waiting until the grades get posted.
But in comparison to what class was like at Palmer and Neumann, there are a few stark contrasts.
- Palmer had two Anatomy I and II, Anatomy II focusing more on the non-musculoskeletal portion: GI tract, heart, lungs, reproductive anatomy. Neumann currently does not have a follow-up to Anatomy, but in the more advanced classes further along in the program may have increased detail on other systems of anatomy. A theory I have is that because chiropractors are “direct access” having knowledge on how to perform lung, heart, abdominal examinations are necessary. This isn’t to say that if you are having internal organ distress that you should immediately go see a chiropractor.
- Neumann’s anatomy lab portion was much more in-depth because it required the students to perform the dissections. It gives you more of a perspective of how deep some of the muscles are and how complex the anatomy is.
- I enjoyed both professors. The exams were equally challenging and test your ability to critically think.
Mission accomplished in anatomy class, and it is on to completing the goal in Biomechanics.
The focus shifts to the second class that we’ve had on Sundays, Biomechanics. There are still plenty of weeks left in the summer that will certainly become the focal point through July and August.