Course Review: 

MEDSCI 201 is basically an extension of MEDSCI 142, but it purely focuses on anatomy and function, with no physiology. The course explores the complex interdependence of separate organ systems and how imbalances can affect health and disease.

 

This is a content-heavy course that really requires you to stay on top of the material, so consistent revision is required. Anatomy relies heavily on rote learning, especially with all the new vocabulary and complex terms which you are expected to know (and spell!). 

 

The labs, run similarly to MEDSCI 142 labs, were a major highlight because they turned lecture content into something you can actually see and touch, which really helped solidify my understanding of the different organ systems. However, it is expected that you have a solid grasp of the specific organ system before the lab, so there is significant pre-study required.

 

Even with all that, I really genuinely enjoyed the course. I found the content very fun and interesting, and the course had great resources and amazing lecturers (including student favourite, Peter Riordan!!) who are always willing to stay behind and answer any questions. 

 

Don’t let the negative rumours about the course discourage you from taking it, especially if you love anatomy! Yes, the course is hard (but then again, so is every other MEDSCI), but it is definitely worth it! 

 

My biggest piece of advice is to revise early and often. Use diagrams and drawings to visualise content, as after all, it is an anatomy course. Pre-reading lecture slides and notes (there is a course guide similar to MEDSCI 142!) is really helpful in getting you familiar with the content (and vocabulary). I found summary notes, cheat-sheet style, very useful, as it allowed me to get all the important information in one place — it’s always less overwhelming when you are organised and have everything in one place. 

 

Content 

 

In 2025, there were 35 lectures, covering the following topics: 

 

First half of semester

• Histology of the ECM (1 lecture), taught by Dr Simon O’Carroll

• Skeletal Development & Growth (1 lecture), taught by A/Prof Sue McGlashan

• Tissues under load (4 lectures), taught by A/Prof Sue McGlashan and Peter Riordan

• Reproduction (4 lectures), taught by Larry Chamley

• Axial skeleton (1 lecture), taught by Peter Riordan

• Musculoskeletal (5 lectures), taught by Peter Riordan

• Neural (2 lectures), taught by Dr Simon O’Carroll

 

 

Second half of semester

• Epithelia (1 lecture), taught by Dr Simon O’Carroll

• Skin (1 lecture), taught by Dr Simon O’Carroll

• Alimentary (2 lectures), taught by Angela Tsai

• Gut Endocrinology(1 lecture), taught by Dr K Lee

• Renal (2 lectures), taught by Angela Tsai

• Respiratory (2 lectures), taught by A/Prof Sue McGlashan

• Cardiovascular (3 lectures), taught by Peter Riordan 

• Endocrine (5 lectures), taught by Prof P Shepherd and Dr K Lee

 

Laboratories

 

In 2025, there were 6 labs, occurring fortnightly. 

 

1. Histology (with Dr Simon O’Carroll)

This was an introduction lab in which we looked at sections of the finger and the small intestines under the microscope.

 

2. Reproduction (with Larry Chamley)

In this lab, we dissected a bovine ovary and learned to interpret the histology of material in slides of a bovine ovary/uterine tube, cervix, and testis. 

 

3. Bovine knee joint (with Peter Riordan)

This lab included a dissection and examination of a cow’s knee, to introduce and allow us to identify the biomechanical properties of different structures and their tissues in a typical synovial joint. 

 

4. Musculoskeletal (with Peter Riordan)

In this lab, we worked our way around stations which covered all the musculoskeletal lecture content. It was a great opportunity to ask any questions (the TA’s are wonderful) and solidify our learning.

 

5. Renal/Alimentary

This lab also involved rotating around stations, focused on gross anatomy of the two systems — identifying structures and regions.

 

6. Cardiorespiratory

After the PST, we conducted a sheep lung dissection and also examined the histological features of arteries, arterioles and veins. The assessment for the cardiorespiratory lab was conducted online. Students could choose to submit a timed quiz on Canvas, or create PST questions for future students.

 

 

Assessments

Laboratory related tasks 30%

You must pass the lab component separately to the theory to pass the course as a whole (i.e. 15/30). If you pass all five lab topics independently, the best four marks are taken and scaled to account for the 30%. 

 

In 2025, before the start of each lab, there was a Practical Skills Test (PST). It was a 20 question, closed book test about the learnings from the previous lab. A range of question formats is possible, including short answer (most common), fill in the blanks, MCQs, labelling diagrams and/or basic drawings/sketches.

 

This means that students get two weeks to revise lab content before it is assessed. The PSTs were carried out in similar fashion to MEDSCI 142 lab tests, in which images are shown on the TV screens for approximately 1 minute.

 

Theory tests 40%

There were two theory tests, each covering content from the two halves of semester. The tests were expanded true/false selection questions, in which you are asked to select whether each option/statement is TRUE or FALSE, given the context of the question stem. No written justification is required.

 

Final exam 30%

In the final exam, all lecture content was assessed. Because laboratories are designed to complement concepts introduced in lectures, some lab material was also assessed. There were a range of question formats, including short answer, fill in the blanks, MCQs, labelling diagrams, and long answers involving writing a paragraph or drawing a diagram.