Anatomy Knowledge Reflection 

One of the fundamental aspects of Veterinary education is Anatomy knowledge. A qualified Veterinary Physiotherapist needs to have both theoretical and practical knowledge of animals’ musculoskeletal and nervous system.

In my undergraduate studies in veterinary medicine, I have been taught the Anatomy of all domestic and laboratory animals with extended theory lectures and multiple dissections. Unfortunately, this knowledge has faded now, sixteen years after. As a first opinion veterinarian, I use a part of this knowledge every day, when I type my clinical notes or when I discuss with my colleagues about a case. However, only a small percentage of terminology is used. It has been shown that the system that is mostly coded in everyday clinical observations, by vets, is the digestive (Wheble and Channon, 2020) while a Veterinary Physiotherapist is mostly using terms related to the musculoskeletal and nervous system. I can identify my weakness in this area, therefore there is a need for hard work especially because this revision needs to be done now in a language other than my mother language which is Greek. Although many anatomy terms are of Greek origin (Soutis, 2006), the pronunciation is different in English.

Along with other areas, the pandemic has had a negative impact on studying as well. Due to restrictions, we were not allowed to travel to University (“Coronavirus (COVID-19),” n.d.). Therefore the study schedule has been reformed and many practical lectures were canceled; one of which was the dissections for the module Functional Anatomy. So far, six months after starting the course, we have had only one dissection on a horse cadaver, focused on the neck and trunk (Pictures 1,2). Hopefully, the social distancing restrictions will be lifted soon and we will have the opportunity to continue our lectures. Even though dissections are considered to be a basic method of teaching anatomy (Huynh et al., 2021), they can have negative effects, like the toxic evaporation of formaldehyde used in cadavers, and also can be boring and not effective (Özkadif and Eken, 2012). Hence, finding other learning tools becomes essential. During this neo-normal period we are living, blended teaching with dissections and technology-enhanced learning is considered to be beneficial (Singh, 2020).

To study anatomy, I use several tools, classic, like textbooks (Picture 3) and more innovative, like an online source called IMAIOS (Picture 4), which offers an interactive 3D anatomy atlas. Using 3D modeling techniques has been shown to be an effective way of studying difficult anatomical concepts (Pujol et al., 2016). The only disappointing thing about this website is the annual cost of the subscription. In addition to these, I purchased a horse anatomy workbook (Picture 5) and I am planning to create flashcards for basic structures to help me memorize them.

From my experience as a vet, anatomy knowledge can be gained by using anatomical terms repeatedly in everyday clinical practice. Therefore, I hope by the end of the clinical year of this course, I will feel much more confident about it.

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