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Veterinary anatomy is by no means an easy subject. It’s often one of the first courses students start veterinary school with. That means it tends to come before most students find out the true study strategies that work for them. I definitely struggled with anatomy, but throughout the course, I learnt study strategies that worked for me! This new style of learning came with new items that I needed in order to study veterinary anatomy. I’ve created a list here that I hope you find helpful!
1. Sketchbook and Erase-able Pencils
If you don’t have a tablet, then you might want to get a large sketchbook with colored pencils. It’s important than you can erase your work, so I recommend these. Drawing to learn veterinary anatomy is all but essential. I recommend these sketchbooks because they give you enough space to draw out large diagrams and pictures.
2. Saunders Veterinary Anatomy Coloring Book
Keeping with the theme of drawing, this coloring book is a great way to supplement your study notes. It’s full of detailed pictures that come from a variety of different veterinary anatomy textbooks, so you know it’s accurate.
3. A small whiteboard with Dry Erase Markers
By now, you’ve realized drawing is important. It’s so important that in addition to a sketchbook and coloring book, I really recommend you have a small whiteboard. It should be small enough to fit in your backpack. This way, you can easily take it out while studying in the library or such. Whiteboards are so helpful for doing quick active recall exercises especially if you don’t want to ruin your notebook with scribbled drawings. I use my whiteboard to practice the Feynman technique. If you don’t know what that is, I’d be happy to write another post on how I use the Feynman technique to study in vet school.
4. Large Spiral-Bound Flashcards
I know Quizlet is a favorite amongst veterinary students, but I prefer the real thing. There’s more consciousness of what you’re writing when making flashcards. Getting a large set will allow you to fill in lots of details. I found these flashcards super helpful when studying the cranial nerves in particular. The fact that they’re spiral bound means you won’t have to ever worry about losing one.
5. A pair of cheap sneakers
When you’re spending four hours in an anatomy lab at a time, all of your clothes will begin to smell like the anatomy lab. Not to mention, your shoes are in the prime splash zone for any liquids that escape the table. Do yourself a favor, and either wear old sneakers, or buy a pair of cheap sneakers that you wouldn’t mind getting messy.
6. Vet-Anatomy App
I loved this app for studying cross sections! I bought a subscription and was so happy I did. It helped me visualize anatomy in a transverse plane which I had really been struggling with.
7. Evernote or One Note
I made the mistake of not digitizing my anatomy notes right away. This meant that I had to scan all my notes over the summer. In my opinion, One Note is great if you type your notes. But if you handwrite your notes, Evernote is really nice because you can easily scan in your notes and add tags so certain topics are searchable. This was a game changer for me because now, I can search for specific anatomical terms, and it brings up a scanned document of drawings I made last year in anatomy.
8. A VIN Account
As a veterinary student, you should have access to a VIN account. It’s a great resource for all things veterinary related. I found their 3D Veterinary Anatomy models to be particularly useful when studying muscles.
9. A Planner
This is an absolute must! It can be any type of planner, even digital, but make sure you have one! You will have so many assignments, labs, quizzes, and exams that you need to stay on top of. Getting a planner that you’ll actually use will save you so much stress down the road. I am a huge fan of the Happy Planners because of how customizable they are!
