Human Anatomy at Colby

Taking this JanPlan course was a decision made after the JanPlan started, which meant that my personal experience in the first week and less in the second involved immense amounts of stress mixed with fascination at the lecture material-the physiology material. I was quite overwhelmed and sleep deprived the first week. Gradually I saw myself catching up, filling up what felt like gaps in the exploration of different systems of the human body and I began to focus more on my studying techniques. I would advise everyone taking a complex and heavy on memorization Biology (or otherwise) class to follow Professor Klepach’s advice on studying methods. Going through the material prior to the class worked very very effectively for me, as during the lecture the material was not only reviewed right then, but also solidified and therefore resonated with me.

Perhaps, the most enriching activity was the visit to Inland Hospital in Waterville, that involved the tour of the hospital and the presentations we delivered. Medical cases upgrade the level of difficulty and thoroughness required to present them in an audience that may or may not know much about your particular case. Understanding and comprehending the medical case is crucial to the efficiency and clarity of your presentation and it was that part that I very much enjoyed. Immersion in the different strategies, parameters that medical doctors have to consider when diagnosing and acting accordingly amazed me in its intricacy and its abundance of possibilities. This course allowed me and equipped me to approach such an elevated topic with moderate confidence and certainly some of the necessary basic knowledge. Regarding the actual presentation, I was overwhelmed when considering the expertise of part of the audience, but I realized that if you are passionate (or at least interested in the case) and have prepared well enough, the fear/stress is needless.

Another aspect of this class that fascinated me is the histology we had the opportunity to study during the lab portion of the class. Not just physical models of different organs but also slides of healthy and unhealthy tissues were elements that we had to identify. Never before had I had interacted so intensely and closely with histological specimens and I loved the microscopic view I gained. One of the systems that I enjoyed learning about is the nervous system. Its efficiency and delicacy I had not realized to this extent before. In particular, I was very intrigued by the pathology of this particular system that I consider exploring neuroscience in the future. When it comes to anatomy, the anatomy of the ear, along with its cooperation with other systems’ anatomical features to allow for hearing was the most surprising to me. Later on, I went on to see some of the technology used for hearing loss, understanding now how the ear functions.

Finally, the cooperation of the EMS and the hospital staff was elemental in my medical case and made me consider a career of a paramedic.

-Iliana G.

This class gave me the best takeaway of any college class I have taken so far: health over school. I have been in a constant struggle with balancing my health and my schoolwork since high school. Tracking my habits over the past month made me realize how terrible and unsustainable my they are. Not getting enough sleep often leads to illness which hinders a student’s ability to stay on top of all their work and, most importantly, it makes learning miserable. Here we are at this incredible institute of education and I have just been drifting by for the sake of the grade. Realizing how bad my habits are has inspired me to invoke change in hopes that I will once again enjoy learning.

This was truly a great class, like many of the other classes I have taken at Colby, but it has taught me the most valuable lesson I’ve learned here so far. To have a professor actually emphasize wellness over learning made me realize how much I actually sacrifice for schoolwork. My habits need to change so that I can start to feel good year round and not just during the summer.

-Mariah

This JanPlan definitely got off to a rocky start as we were bombarded with hundreds of slides, sometimes just in one day, filled with tons of new terms and concepts to memorize. I was extremely overwhelmed, but amazed at how no one else appeared to feel the burden of the courseload and instead were eager and present in every moment. Had it not been for Dr. Klepach’s endless encouragement and repeated insistence that self-care always comes first, I would have drowned for sure. Instead, I began to internalize his philosophy and forced myself to stop measuring myself by my grades. I accepted that I was doing the best I could and tried not be as hard on myself, and I made myself take breaks away from work and studying to focus on my physical and psychological health. The most precious lesson by far that I’ll take away from this class is that it’s okay to be kind to yourself, and those who truly value your education, success, and well-being will understand that and work with you.

As far as the actual course material, certain things from A&P may have gone in one ear and out the other. However, I definitely learned a huge amount overall, and I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to take this class. As a pre-health student with an EMT background, it was amazing to enrich my current understanding of the body as well as get a taste of what future schooling holds. The cardiology unit was by far my favorite, and the pig heart dissection was a really cool, hands-on way of applying everything we had been talking about to a tangible model. Along those same lines, the mini heart models were awesome as well; it was very thoughtful to get one for every student to take home and study.

Overall, I really loved this class and the topics that were prioritized, I just wish that we had had more time!!

Going into this course I was unsure what to expect. I had read some previous blog posts, and I expected that the class would be difficult, but I didn’t realize how much material was going to be thrown at us. There is quite a bit of rote memorization to do, which is something I have always regarded as one of my weak points. Even though I was not the best at the memorization piece, this class helped to convince me that I can memorize large amounts of information if I need to.

Another study technique that I will probably use forever is the idea that study sessions should be divided up into three parts. One part is looking at past material, another is looking at the material that was just learned, and the third is looking ahead to material that has not been covered in class yet. While I was not always perfect at using this method, I did better on the days that I used this strategy. Additionally, it will save you lots of time in the long run and prevent having to spend lots of time cramming before a test. That is impossible in this course because there are quizzes given almost every day.

Often the people who appear to do the best in difficult courses are the ones who get little sleep and have very high levels of stress. This class helps to present an alternative to that and helps to begin the process of learning how to retain lots of information while still doing things to maintain mental and physical health. In the long run, this seems like a great method to prevent burnout, which is especially helpful as many of the people in the class plan on going into some kind of healthcare profession. I would highly recommend taking this course if you have any interest in healthcare and are interested in developing your study skills.

-Meredith

Going into Jan plan this year, I knew that this course would be fast-paced, rigorous, and dense in material— the exact opposite of my Jan plan experience last year when I took Studio Art. While I did not have the same free time and relaxation as I did last year, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and learned valuable lessons that extended past the syllabus, and learned more about myself as a student along the way.

I decided to take human anatomy and physiology because I was genuinely interested in the subject and it was one of my favorite classes in high school. I told myself that I would give myself some leniency this month to enjoy the class as much as I can, and try my best to control the level of self-imposed stress from academics. This conveniently aligned with Dr. Klepach’s philosophy of the course, which was to learn for the sake of learning, not for the sake of the grade, and to prioritize mental and physical health.

I realized I had some unhealthy habits as a student before this class. I would skip meals and get less than 5 hours of sleep some nights, and I am now aware of how that affected my academic and athletic performance and level of stress which in turn affected my happiness. Tracking those aspects of my life this month made me more cognizant and thoughtful of the relationship between healthy living and physical and mental well being. My experience this month will affect how I approach my classes and life in the future. I truly believe that most of the time, you can strike the balance between a healthy lifestyle and achieving academic success if you put in the effort. Hopefully, I will remember this reflection when I am in the middle of the spring semester, running around between classes, activities, and spending quality time with friends.

Another point in reflecting on this past month is that I feel as though I was in the minority in terms of where my future interests are career-wise. I currently do not have an interest in pursuing a health care profession but instead am interested in law. I believe that this affected how I approached the course and helped me to “learn for the sake of learning.” While law and medicine may be two different career paths, I think that its intersection and the interdisciplinary study can be fascinating and having a brain with both schemas can help you view life through different lenses.

I had a positive experience in human anatomy and physiology and I wish the class was taught over a longer period of time so that we can learn more material at a slower pace. I am happy, however, about the takeaways from this class. I thought the grand rounds presentations were a great way to end the class and it was fascinating to learn about the various case studies researched by my fellow classmates. It would be great to take a class with Dr. Klepach again in the future— his enthusiasm for teaching and dedication to his students is exceptional.

Minori Cohan

The January course of Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology is a rigorous, fast-paced look into the inner workings of the human body, but it is also much more. This class and Dr. Klepach are adaptive and reflective. As we learned the anatomy and physiology of various body systems, we learned of the delicate balance which every system within the human body must work to maintain through the various facets of homeostasis. We learned the various physical elements of which we are composed along with what they do and what can go wrong without proper rest and care. It is often joked about that members of the healthcare field are the most unhealthy people, but as I recorded my eating, sleeping, and exercise habits over the course of January, I was ashamed to find how much this applied to me. I rarely eat three meals each days and during the academic year I rarely sleep for 8 hours every night. I had to actively think about eating and sleeping properly over the course of this class, and it required significant effort and self discipline to get 8 hours of sleep each night. Many of us have been trained to place our grades and our education first, but Dr. Klepach helped me see how maintenance of my personal health is important as well, and over the course of this class, I worked to deconstruct this habit and place myself first. It required adaptation and reconsideration of my study methods, but I realized that it is possible to work hard and get good grades while also getting eight hours of sleep every night and exercising regularly. 

On the first day of the class, Dr. Klepach told all of us that our goal for the class was not a grade, it was not to memorize and learn all that there is to know about human anatomy and physiology, our goal for this course was to keep our stress levels low, eat, sleep and exercise right, and learn how to learn the most productive way. As a generally stressed and anxious person, I’ve always felt that a stress level of 4 or 5 out of 5 was part of being a student at Colby pursuing a career in medicine. However, as I adjusted my eating habits and began eating nutritionally appropriate meals at the right times for me and pushing myself to sleep more, I saw my stress levels fall. Throughout the course, I maintained stress levels of 3 out of 5 or below, and my grades only improved over the course of the class. I saw for the first time that flashcards and all nighters were not the MOST effective and productive methods of studying for me, and I was able to work for less time and achieve better results. 

Above all, I would say that my greatest take away from this class was redefining my measurement of success. I was able to see that my success is not dependent upon the grades that I receive and success doesn’t need to be a quantitative measurement at all. Success can be whatever you define it to be, and now I view any form of self improvement as personal success.

Devon O’Connell