What do Anatomy and Physiology Labs Entail?

[kat13271]

Hi everyone. I am getting prepared to start at Kansas State in the fall as a first year vet student. I was curious about the labs for anatomy and physiology. I know we will work with cadavers, but what exactly do you do? Is it simply understanding how the structures work and where they are, or are there specific lab assignments such as: You must dissect this, and this, in this manner by the end of lab or fail for the day? I am excited, but I would like to know what to expect! Thanks!

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[Emio]

#1 we didn't have physio labs, can't help you there.

#2 anatomy labs were pure dissection/memorization. i think we had a schedule somewhere of page numbers in our "textbook" that we were supposed to get through each day. most teams went at their own pace, so long as they covered the material covered on the next exam. most professors were ok with that.

#3 like i said, anatomy was pure memorization, but the exams were done in such a way that you had to have a pretty comprehensive memory of the anatomy. for example, not only would they tag certain vessels for you to identify, but part b of the question may be 'from what larger artery does this arise?' or 'what muscle does this vessel supply/drain?' or even so far as 'what nerve innervates the muscle that this vessel supplies?'

tricky tricky.

 

[Electrophile]

We had physiology "labs" our first semester, but they were pretty boring. Some was just extra lectures or guest lectures on clinical correlates, which were okay. Some were computer simulations, which I didn't get a lot out of. Second semester, we had a couple hands on labs in our gastrointestinal physiology and nutrition (two separate classes) that were pretty cool. We observed and handled a fistulated cow while they were being fed so you could feel in the rumen for one of our GI phys labs and did dog and cat food sampling for a nutrition lab. Yes, some people ate Alpo. So those labs were pretty cool.

Anatomy lab was basically working through the Evans dissection guide slowly but surely. We were supposed to cover so many pages, but sometimes it happened, sometimes it didn't. And like Emio said, sometimes on the tests, it wouldn't be "what's this hole in the skull called." It would be "what nerve(s) and/or vessel(s) run through this skull." Grump...

 

[kat13271]

Thanks guys, that definitely helps!

 

[alliecat44]

Hi kat,

I just finished my first year at KSU, so I can answer a bit more specifically regarding our program. It sounds pretty similar to what Emio and Electrophile were saying about Penn and Mizzou.

First semester anatomy lab, first day: here are your lab groups, here's a box of dog bones, do pages x to y. Um, do WHAT to pages x through y? Well, figure it out. You read through your dissection guide, helping each other identify structures on the bones. Your first exam in vet school is on the bones only--"the bones test"--and the sophomores (that's us!) throw a big party in honor of YOU and your first exam to welcome you here. The party's called Shaft and has a different theme every year (this year, it's Wally and the Chocolate Factory).

Then you actually get your cadaver. Each day it's a different page assignment in your lab guide. Most people stay pretty on schedule, though it takes some groups longer than others to get through certain challenging dissections. Our lab exams are as others have described ("what tendon inserts here?," not just "name the structure.").It's up to your group to delegate/assign tasks for certain days (like who reads, who dissects, etc), so whatever works best for you guys is left up to you. Instructors are always there to help, but it can be a bit of a wait sometimes.

Physiology labs are pretty infrequent. One was on ECGs, another on blood pressure, one observing an equine endoscopy, etc. Sometimes there were additional lectures in that time slot, but often Tuesday afternoons were free after 2pm.

Hope that helps. Second semester...worry about that when you get there. (We had quizzes every other day in lab instead of exams every few weeks, and you do several species over the course of the semester.)