There is no question that anatomy and physiology are very important topics for future doctors. But do you already need to address these as an undergrad? If you take it in undergrad, when should you tackle these classes? Are they hard and should you be worried about them? Trust me, these questions are completely normal! To give you a better idea what to expect, we are going to dive into all of these and answer “Do you need anatomy / physiology for med school?”
This post is all about answering do you need anatomy for med school.
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Answering: Do You Need Anatomy For Med School?
Is Anatomy or Physiology Required for Medical School?
For most medical schools anatomy and physiology are not required by medical schools. But they are listed as a recommended course for quite a few of them. There are a handful of schools though which tag these courses as a requirement, so make sure to check beforehand.
If you can fit it into your schedule, it is definitely worth taking one or both of them, as I did it. Taking either in undergrad can prove to medical schools that you can succeed in high level science courses. This also shows that you are preparing for the rigor of medical school. It also benefits you by having a good foundation of the human body before taking these classes in medical school.
Difference Between Anatomy and Physiology Classes
Anatomy – the study of the structure of the human body (where certain organ systems are located and the different structures in the system)
Physiology – the study of how the body functions
You may have heard of a friend taking anatomy at their school and another friend taking Anatomy & Physiology 1 at a different school. If taken in high school for AP credit, (check out this blog post for info on AP classes as a premed) Anatomy and Physiology will be combined into 1 class. In most nursing programs, they have Anatomy & Physiology 1 for one semester then Anatomy & Physiology 2 during the next semester. For premeds and medical schools, there is an Anatomy class and a separate Physiology class. So why is there a difference?
- For the AP class, it has less material. Also, it is usually easier since the class was made for advanced high school students, not college premeds.
- In nursing, it was constructed so that the anatomy and physiology of a system was covered simultaneously.
- For medical schools, the anatomy of the entire body is covered in the anatomy class then the physiology of the entire body is covered in the physiology class.
Nursing and medical school just chose to set up different ways to cater to the goals of the class.
Is Anatomy Hard? How Do I Study For It?
While there is a lot of material to memorize, anatomy in undergrad is often considered easier to learn because there aren’t any difficult concepts or endless essays required. Most anatomy professors will recommend flashcards and drawings to study outside of the class. So get ready for a lot of flashcards to study!
Although each school is a bit different, during anatomy class in undergrad, you could expect a lecture to yield about 100 flashcards. This would be 1,000 per exam. This is a lot of material for an undergrad, so it can be hard to keep up. However studying a little bit each day will make you so much more prepared come exam time.
Here are some resources that can make anatomy easier for you:
Kenhub Anatomy Atlas
Kenhub Anatomy (link includes 10% off)
Netter’s Anatomy Flashcards
Anatomy Coloring Book
Armando Hasudungan Anatomy Videos
Is Physiology Hard? Helpful Study Tips!
Where anatomy is a broad and all encompassing course, physiology is all about the nitty gritty details of the human body. There are several challenging concepts and learning how one part of the human body affects everything else can be tricky.
It is actually the opposite of anatomy where there probably will be numerous essay style questions. Flashcards may help with some of these components. But writing out processes or drawing cycles will make a big difference to your understanding. Doing a brain dump after each lecture can help to make sure you didn’t misinterpret any of the concepts and how it relates to the whole body.
Extra resources to deepen your understanding:
Khan Academy: Principles of Physiology
Armando Hasudungan Physiology Videos
Does Anatomy Count Towards Science GPA? What about Physiology?
Yes, anatomy and physiology will be included into your science GPA for medical school. It will fall under the biology classification in the acronym BCPM to calculate the science GPA. So the grades in these classes are important: if you do well, it will increase both GPAs but the same happens if you do poorly, so keep that in mind!
Should You Take Anatomy and Physiology Before Med School?
Although it’s not a must-have, these courses will provide you with a good foundation before diving into a more demanding anatomy and physiology class in medical school. It is also a class that usually has no prerequisites. This can be found at most (if not all) colleges or universities and has a large class size. This means it should be an easy class to enroll in and fit into your schedule in any semester.
To be honest, these classes aren’t easy. However, if you have done well in your previous premed courses, you should be able to succeed in these courses as well. This wa, a hit to your GPA should not be likely.
Do You Need Anatomy or Physiology for the MCAT?
No, neither anatomy or physiology is one of the top classes recommended for the MCAT. But if you can fit either in your semester schedule before your MCAT is scheduled, it could definitely give you that extra advantage!
Physiology involves a lot of chemical signaling in the body and that is definitely something covered on the MCAT. While the lessons of chemical signaling on the MCAT are included in content review books, it can help some (including me) to have a professor teach it to you and test you on it instead of spending an hour or two reading about it. Anatomy is similar where the necessary concepts will be included in content books, but a whole course will provide a bigger picture.
I personally took Anatomy and Physiology 1 during my post-bacc before taking the MCAT for a second time. I believe that going beyond the standard classes to take before MCAT and adding some extra courses like anatomy and physiology to my sheet helped me so much to improve my score. So that I ended up improving my score by 7 points, from my previous 509 score to 516, reaching my personal target!
If the word MCAT puts you into anxiety mode, know that you don’t have to figure this all out by yourself! And yes, you also don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to private prep companies to get a clear plan for your studying. In my course MCAT Roadmap, I guide you through each step while creating your personal study plan, one that actually fits YOU and your schedule. With my epic Study Schedule Tool you will wake up every morning knowing exactly what to tackle that day. No more procrastination fights or content overwhelm. You got this!
Now, Should You Take Anatomy or Physiology First?
Although it’s sometimes a combined class, you can take either first. Yet, anatomy is usually recommended to start with. This is because in physiology classes they will use terminology about the structures of the body that are learned in anatomy. Some people want to get the harder class over with first and just google the terminology. However, why try to learn 2 things at once when you can learn them at different times? Don’t make it harder for yourself as it has to be!
Final Thoughts on Anatomy and Physiology for Med School
No need to freak out if you have missed to sign up for any anatomy and physiology classes in undergrad, since it’s not a requirement for most schools. Nevertheless, make sure to check your school list for any exceptions if this is you!
If you still get the chance, anatomy and physiology are a nice-to-have addition to your other premed classes, giving you a wonderful foundation not only to better tackle the MCAT but also get ready for those more complex classes coming up in medical school.
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