Course Master: Glenn Conroy, PhD (conroyg@wustl.edu)
Block: 1
Teaching style: Lecture, dissection lab with four to a table
Grading: Three timed practical exams
Passing: 65%
Anatomy is THE defining course of first semester. It’s quite literally the embodiment of one’s initiation into the medical profession: gaining the privilege of operating on a real human being. With a strictly basic science and engineering background, I had never taken anatomy and dreaded the prospect of rote memorization. To my surprise, anatomy quickly became my favorite class. The excellent professors, camaraderie between lab partners, thrill of finding a minor nerve using Dr. Krikor Dikranian’s patented scalpel technique, and that sudden moment when the pelvis actually makes sense — all of these add to the anatomy experience. I wouldn’t give up any part of it. This isn’t rote memorization; this is the human body in its entirety, the framework upon which all other medical knowledge rests. As with other first-year courses, you can choose to do the bare minimum or you can immerse yourself in the material, as most of our class does, and come out feeling wiser for it.
— Wilbur S., M1