Laboratory Guidelines

Updated 17 June 2006

1. When studying anatomy, you will be confronted with numerous unfamiliar terms. To master these terms, it will help you to check the definition of each in the glossary in S&F.

2. Except for the skeletal system, it is important that you follow the order of study presented within each chapter in S&F.

3. Dissection is primarily CLEANING and SEPARATING. For this, the best tools are a blunt probe, a closed pair of forceps, or your finger. Use scissors and scalpels with discretion; cut only when necessary.

4. Do not use a writing instrument as a pointer for bones. A deduction of one point will be taken from your first lab quiz for each offense.

5. In lab, we study mammalian structure as a model of vertebrate structure. This means that non-mammalian vertebrates could appear on lab quizzes.

6. In order to keep up in lab, you must work on your specimen regularly outside of the scheduled lab period. You may work in the lab room anytime during weekdays. Also, because your specimen belongs to you, you may take it and work on it anywhere you desire. Remember, however, that you may not take our bones out of the lab.

7. You should be able to distinguish right from left for most structures.

8. Individuals may vary considerably in structure, especially in certain soft tissues (e.g., circulatory system). For this reason, it is important that you compare your specimen to those of others.

9. Your specimen must be in the specimen room by noon on the day of each lab exam. Failure to do so will result in a deduction of five points from your lab exam. From this time until the lab exam, your specimen will not be available to you.

10. You should be prepared to integrate laboratory material with lecture material on both lecture exams and lab exams.

Lab Exam Policies

1. On each exam there will be 75 questions distributed among 15 stations. When you finish one station, you will physically move to the next. Note the following path among stations:

2. Always read the guidelines printed on the 3X5 cards for each question.

3. For all pinned structures, questions pertain to the first structure that the pin penetrates. For example:

4. Some numbered tags also serve as pointers. If so, then one tip will be darkened. For example:

5. Points will be deducted for spelling errors.

6. You will have adequate time (3 min.) at each station to answer all the questions. Once you leave a particular station, you may not return to it.

7. If you are unsure as to exactly how specific your answer should be, a good strategy is to give both specific and general answers (e.g., rhinal sulcus of the pyriform lobe of the cerebrum).

8. Do not use general terms without qualifiers (e.g., cortex, medulla).

9. If right and left forms of the same structure differ in morphology or function, you must state which side it is (e.g., right atrium).

10. For all circulatory vessels, state whether each is an artery or a vein (abbreviate a or v).

11. Except for bones, do not touch the materials at the stations (you may handle bones).

12. Keep your eyes fixed on the materials at your station. Due to the nature of the exam, it is not difficult, even accidentally, to look upon someone's paper. Do not let Satan tempt you by letting your eyes roam to other stations -- it could be interpreted as cheating.

IGNORANCE OF THESE POLICIES AT EXAM TIME COULD COST YOU POINTS!