Alison Bell, The Queen's University Belfast

Gray’s Flashcards are a great tool to add to your anatomy revision. They take all the images from the textbook and allow you to revise without the hints from the labels! Everything you need is in the box – there’s a ring to keep the cards on when you’re using them because there are 350 so you wouldn’t want to get them mixed up. You also get access to student consult with these so you can track up your cards and make a ‘playlist’ that you can work through online which is handy if you don’t have your cards with you over the holidays or whatever. A top buy for 1st/2nd year and handy for when you study surgery in later years!

Posted 18th May 2011

Saad Fyyaz, The University of Nottingham

Form Factor – the flash cards come carefully organised system by system. Unfortunately I suspect it won’t stay organised for long! To state the obvious its much more portable compared with the considerably bulkier Grays Anatomy for Students Textbook, having said this, the cards are not so small that they are pocket sized. The cards themselves physically are of decent quality, however given that you’re supposed to hang them on the provided ring, it would be useful if it came with a small carry pouch as the cards tend to get damaged if you don’t carry it in the box Using the cards - The strength of these cards without doubt is the quality / clarity of the illustrations – it’s incredibly clear and easy to understand. I used to use Moore and Agur Essential Clinical Anatomy and really struggled with the illustrations until I discovered Grays which completely changed my learning. From both learning and teaching perspectives I found it to be an invaluable tool to be able to download the images from the StudentConsult site (an under-utilised resource) once you’ve registered the product pin. I think these ought to be used as an adjunct to your learning from the textbook and its greatest advantage so far has been to help review, refresh and consolidate my knowledge. Handily, the images are well referenced to the original in the textbook so it’s possible to read around the structures in greater detail. It does have a few clinical pointers of relevance on the back of a few cards that is always useful. Unfortunately there’s a tendency to see all the answers when you flip the cards over so it’s usually quite good to use these with a friend. Price - They are quite expensive for what they are; especially given the justifiable price of the textbook this seems somewhat extortionate as it serves more as a revision aid.

Posted 8th Mar 2011

Elizabeth Carr, The University of St Andrews

Gray’s anatomy flashcards are a great revision resource. They’re very useful for testing yourself on anatomy knowledge – the answers being on the reverse of the cards. They are easy to quickly flick through if you have a few spare moments. They are very portable – simply select the cards relevant to the anatomy you are currently studying, then you can revise on the train/bus etc. They also come with a metal loop you can use to hold selected cards together. The diagrams are in the same style as the Gray’s Anatomy textbook (very good quality and clear). There are a few exam question cards at the end of the box, although, I find there aren’t enough questions to be particularly useful. There is a little clinical detail on the reverse of each card, although, this is much more brief than Netter’s flashcards. The flashcards come with online access (student consult), which means, as long as you have access to a computer, you can access the full selection of flashcards, which is incredibly useful. Student Consult access allows you to form playlists of flashcards online so you can quickly access the flashcards you want. Overall, I have found these flashcards to be incredibly useful in my revision.

Posted 28th Jan 2011

Vaibhav Gupta, The University of Nottingham

These flashcards are a simple product that accompanies one of my favourite medical books, Gray’s Anatomy for Students. The book derives its strength from the fantastic illustrations included inside, which makes the flashcards extremely valuable since the same images are included here. They have numbered labels to key structures, and an identifying list on the back which allows you to test your learning after having read the book. It makes for easy and comfortable revision that you can do from anywhere, since a stack of cards for the area you are revising will fit into your coat pocket! Gray’s Anatomy images are very modern and able to give you a 3-D appreciation of anatomy, which is essential for understanding and success on the medical course. Overall, this is a good investment to further the learning you gain from core anatomy textbooks.

Posted 27th Jan 2011