Video: 8 steps to create your own anatomy flashcards

Hey everyone! This is Nicole from Kenhub, and in today's tutorial, we're going to be talking about the steps you could use to create your own flashcards.

Making your own anatomy flashcards can be a really effective way to study and memorize anatomy terms and structures. In fact, pretty much every major anatomy atlas publisher has released their own flashcards to help students study anatomy but this can be quite expensive. So making your own flashcards can not only be a great way to save money but it also can be worthwhile as several studies have shown that writing things down helps you remember things better.

So where to begin? First things first, if you haven't yet registered as a Kenhub user, then go ahead and do so. By registering at kenhub.com as a user, you can have access to our extensive online anatomy atlas which will come in handy as you make your flashcards. Once you've registered as a user on kenhub.com, you can then browse through our comprehensive collection of images and select the images you'd like to use to make your flashcards. Once you click on the image you want, you'll not only be able to see the image with the structure in question highlighted but you'll also see that both the English and Latin names of the structure are provided as well as an audio link that allows me to hear the correct pronunciation of the structure in English and in Latin.

Now that you've selected the images that you're interested in, you can go ahead and download the images to your phone, tablet or laptop by right clicking the images and selecting the 'save image as' option. After saving the images you want to your device, the next step is to print them. Use your printer options to decide what size you want your flashcards to be. For the sake of durability, we recommend using photo paper or slightly thicker card paper to print out your cards. Once you've printed out your flash cards, the next step then is to write the most important facts from your notes on the back of your flashcards using bullet points to avoid having to write long sentences.

And with regards to anatomy, the important details that should be written down on the back of your flashcard include: Innervation – That is, the nerve supply to the structure in question. Vascularization – That is, the blood supply of the structure; this should include both arterial blood supply and venous drainage. Function – It's important to write as succinctly as possible what the structure does or is responsible for. Movement – And the movement, in the case of muscles, you want to write as succinctly as possible what action the muscle performs; for example, does it abduct, adduct, flex or extend the limb and so on. Acronyms and mnemonics – Acronyms are a great way to help you remember difficult words while mnemonics are great to help you remember difficult combinations of structures; for example, for an acronym for the inferior vena cava, you could write IVC while I Am Pretty Smart is a pretty well-known mnemonic used to help memorize the pairings of the inferior ulnar collateral artery, the anterior ulnar recurrent artery, the posterior ulnar recurrent artery, and the superior ulnar collateral artery. Phonetic spelling – Writing down the phonetic spelling of the word not only helps you to know the correct pronunciation of a word but can also help in remembering the word. English and Latin terminology – Last but not least, whether the Latin or English terminology is used in your lectures or textbooks, it is advisable to write down the terms in both languages since various countries use various nomenclature.

Once you have compiled all the relevant information about your structure onto the back of your flashcard and is satisfied that everything is correct, the next thing you want to do is laminate your cards. Now this may seem like a tedious task but we recommend doing this to ensure the durability of your cards and to avoid them getting dirty or damaged. If you don’t have a laminating machine at home, don’t worry. You can either go to your local copy shop to get your cards laminated or you can simply use broad sellotape and wrap it evenly around your cards individually.

Next, take your laminated cards and using a perforator or hole punch, create a small hole at the top of the left hand corner of each card. Once you've done this, you can compile the cards you'll be using to revise that day or week and put them on a circular ring for easy access.

The final thing to do is to find a box to store all your brand new flash cards in. This will help keep them clean and together while you're not using them. Once you finish making your flashcards, you can now use them for easy reference or as a pocket version of your anatomy atlas. And if after watching this video, you still don’t want to spend a time it takes to make your own flashcards, you can always register at kenhub.com and make use of our online quizzes to learn anatomy in the fastest, most engaging and guided way possible.

Thanks and hope you have fun with your flashcards.