Clinical studies like medicine and nursing are challenging jobs with a lot of studies to complete daily. A career as a doctor or nurse needlessly is a complicated job with hard work for long hours and the amount of preparation that goes into becoming one. Regardless of the stress, many people come out of this phase unscathed, only with smart and diligent methods they adopt in their preparation and studies.
Out of the many topics a med and nursing program covers for prospective doctors and nurses, the most challenging subjects deal with medical anatomy and physiology topics that form the basis for NCLEX and USMLE exams.
Patients’ lives are dependent on their care plan and the expertise of their healthcare practitioner. Without a good grounding in human anatomy and physiology, determining the cause of health afflictions is difficult for any professional.
But if the concepts are clear, from the initial stages of med and nursing school, both physicians and nurses turn out to be very good caregivers.
Importance of anatomy
Gross anatomy is the structure of the human body that is seen with the naked eye and includes all the external and dissectable body parts. However, the functions of the body at a molecular level are crucial to understanding the effect of a disease on the functions of the body.
Anatomy and physiology are key subjects for both nursing students and future doctors as it helps understand the location of various organs, their functions, the interdependence of various organs in a healthy body, and symptoms through the change in body functions when affected by a disease or a health condition.
A thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiological conditions like oxygen rate, blood pressure, pulse, glucose, and cholesterol in the normal range, helps a healthcare practitioner determine the course of the treatment plan for a patient.
If a nurse or a doctor is not well versed in this subject, they stand to lose precious time in critical emergencies of patients. The initial assessment and eliminating the reason for doubt at an early stage helps in saving the lives of people in the healthcare sector.
To clear the licensure exams, one needs to be thorough with their subject knowledge of human anatomy and physiology courses.
Let us check a smart guideline that provides workable tips to learn and retain the concepts of anatomy and physiology:
- Clarity of concepts
When a subject is the framework of the premise on which the entire next course of learning and working knowledge is dependent, then it is detrimental in any field to start from the exercise of clear comprehension of the basics of the concepts.
For instance, it is not important to understand the heart pumps the blood, but it is also required to know what factors influence the blood flow to and from the heart and what conditions can aggravate these factors.
Understanding concepts will help one fine-tune and remember in practical instances to take critical decisions when a patient needs immediate medical attention. Anatomy has many new terms that a person may not come across before. Trying to learn some of the common terms daily can help remember them in the long run and not be daunted by new words.
- Online resources
Online courses with MedTech companies are a preferred route for students who would like to leverage technology. These courses are immersive and cover everything from basic to advanced topics in a sequential method that includes simulation-based 3D images for videos that will help one grasp the points better.
With high-quality illustrations, exhaustive topic coverage, and short quizzes to remember the learning outcomes, a student will find this option resourceful.
- Prepare before sessions
If your college or university is conducting physical cadaver sessions, then make it useful by asking all the questions and jotting points. In the case of studies through medical education aids like the organs model, try to check the aid for finer details.
Always prepare for the session beforehand. It helps in syncing the lesson with what you can see in the practical session and understanding the topic in a differential manner.
- Learn anatomy terminology
A lot of the words in anatomy and physiology will be part of your vocabulary when you graduate from med and nursing programs. So it is important to start using these words from the first year so that you have a command over the most important terms that will be used repeatedly in the future. Since most words have Latin of green origin, practicing the words will help in using them daily.
- Be part of a study group
Studying with friends or like-minded students who can match your style and pace of studying will help you cover topics that you have overseen. In this manner, most of the important topics will be covered. It is also possible that learning hacks and best practices that you are not aware of are picked by you for future reference and use.
- Relax and rejuvenate
When studying for long hours and going back to clinical rotations, often students suffer burnout and then suddenly lose focus for some time. To avoid such circumstances, it is important to take breaks to relax and rejuvenate from time to time.
Take time out to play a sport, run a mile, meet friends and family or do something that helps you unwind. A relaxed mind is good at absorbing information and is more productive than a stretched and tired one.
Conclusion:
Anatomy is the study of body organs and their structure. Physiology helps one understand the functions of the body’s organs. In combination, the study helps doctors, nurses, and clinical science-related professionals understand the impact of various diseases on the impairments of bodily functions.
Studying anatomy and physiology helps healthcare professionals understand the health status of a patient and the ability to read and comprehend diagnostic reports. Based on the test reports and the symptoms that are observed, a treatment plan is devised to help patients revive their health.
