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picture: a Play-Doh brainstem model I made to learn neuroanatomy
Learning anatomy is one of the major challenges medical trainees face. Β There are many structures to remember, and on top of learning their names (which are mostly fancy Latin words) and where they are in the human body, medical trainees have to learn their functions and eventually apply that knowledge to clinical scenarios. Β Outside of cadaver labs and standard anatomy lectures, some common strategies I have seen people use to learn anatomy include flashcards, anatomy coloring books, and examining models. Β While these strategies are very helpful for many people, as someone who has a primarily kinesthetic learning style, a supplemental resource that helped me much more was the popular children’s toy Play-Doh.
When I was learning anatomy in medical school, I purchased a Play-Doh set with a few different colors roughly matching those of bones, arteries, veins, and muscles. Β Outside of classes and cadaver labs I would open an anatomy atlas and reference it while using the Play-Doh to build my own anatomy models. Β As I built each structure, I would recite its name, location, and function. Β After completing a model, I would disassemble it one structure at a time, once again reciting each structure’s name, location, and function as I went. Β While I could have done something similar with drawing, with Play-Doh model building I had the advantage of being better able to visualize the 3-dimensional locations of organs. Β As a result, I found that what I could have learned by creating 9 to 10 different drawings I was able to learn by creating only 3 to 4 Play-Doh models. Β In addition, Play-Doh was much cheaper than many other supplemental anatomy learning resources and was easily reusable. Β I spent only $6 on a set of Play-Doh in 2015, while at that time I probably would have spent closer to $10 to $15 on drawing supplies (with repeat costs to replace used up supplies), $20 or more on anatomy coloring books, or $50 or more on an online anatomy review course or manufactured anatomy models.
If you would like to try creating your own Play-Doh models to learn or review anatomy, I highly encourage you to do so, especially if you like hands on learning and/or have a kinesthetic learning style. Β You might find as I did that it helps reduce the number of times you need to review material to learn it, and the investment in Play-Doh is very small and low risk. Β The worst case scenario would be that this technique doesn’t work for you, and you get a refund from the store where you bought the Play Doh or gift the Play-Doh to someone else. Β Happy studying!