For around a decade, 3D printing has been leading to significant medical advancements – custom prosthetics, for example, or orthopedic implants. However, while exciting, these are not the most immediately useful for a health sciences student. As SMHS, GWSPH, or Nursing students, if you’d like to get the most out of the free 3D printing service at Himmelfarb, consider the following five use cases!
Stethoscope Holder:
Durable, quickly-printed, and clips to a belt! And like with any print request, you can state your color preference on the Google Form.
Molecules:
3D Printing benefits tactile and visual learners, especially with objects that must be represented abstractly, like atoms and molecules. Unlike a diagram on a page, molecules like this dopamine model can be rotated and moved, which can aid memory of chemical interactions.
Bones of the Hand: Anatomy Models to Study
When it comes to the complexity of the human body, structures with many similar parts – like the bones of the hand – benefit from modeling. They can be arranged, labeled, and assembled [but unfortunately not high-fived, unless you have amazing plastic glue].
Temporal Bone: Anatomy Models to Test:
Certainly within GW, 3D models can (and have) been used to practice surgery. Kidney models can be used to practice transplants, and (depicted below) prints of the temporal bone can be used for a trial mastoidectomy.
The Human Heart: Study, Decoration, or Both
A 3D-printed classic, few things say “medical world” like the human heart. [Also appropriate for Edgar Allen Poe fans].
