Learning about human anatomy and physiology can be fascinating—muscles, bones, what the body is made of and how it functions. But no matter how interesting the information, the terms—many Latin in origin—can sound like a foreign language. There is no quick fix to learning these terms, but a variety of study techniques will make the process easier and more enjoyable.
Memorizing Anatomy and Physiology Terms
Form a study group so you can practice together. It will help to have someone else quiz you, prompt you and motivate you. If you're on a tight time frame, you can even divide the work up, so that someone focuses on the upper body and someone else takes the lower body, for instance.
Create or purchase pre-made flash cards that include the specific anatomy and physiology term on one side and a definition (and picture, if possible) on the other side. You can practice these alone or together. Eventually, you should be able to move through the flash cards with ease.
Visit the lab so that you can use a life-size human skeleton for reference, reviewing muscles, bones, organs and their anatomical terms. If your instructor or lab has other visuals such as charts, CD-ROMs and DVDs, take advantage of these as well. This is a very visual subject, so it helps to have visuals for your studying.
Finally, study, study, study and practice, practice, practice. The more time you spend with these terms—muscles, organs and so on—the easier they will be to memorize and understand. If you're really struggling, consider hiring a private tutor for a few sessions or visit your instructor's office hours for additional help.
Things You Will Need
- Study group
- Visuals such as human skeleton, charts of muscles, etc.
- Try different studying and memorization techniques.
- Don't expect to learn these terms overnight; there are a lot of them and they might initially sound like a foreign language.
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