154 - Revitalizing Anatomy Education: The Role of Peer Tutors in Reinforcing Reproductive Anatomy

Poster Board Number: 154
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Hope Hefferan, MBA - Medical Student, Department of Anatomy, Foundational Medical Studies, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine; Erin Mueller, BS - Department of Anatomy, Foundational Medical Studies - Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine; Varna Taranikanti, PhD - Department of Anatomy, Foundational Medical Studies - Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Abstract Body :The conventional medical education curriculum condenses anatomical studies within the first year, posing challenges for students in retaining crucial knowledge. Despite clinical integration of anatomy throughout the curriculum, the constraints of faculty time limit the possibility of comprehensive reteaching. Consequently, students are left to address their own academic gaps, which proves to be insufficient. Our study's objective is to explore an alternative educational strategy, employing third-year medical students as peer tutors to assist second-year medical students in revisiting reproductive anatomy. We hypothesize that such peer tutoring will enhance student self-efficacy, motivation, and information retention. This study created peer-led learning sessions where two third-year medical students held cadaver labs to teach a group of second-year medical students, specifically using the teach-back method. A post-session survey was employed to gauge the impact peer tutoring led sessions had on self-efficacy, motivation, and information retention when relearning reproductive anatomy at our institution. Results of this study indicate a substantial positive effect, with 89% of surveyed students expressing an increased confidence in identifying anatomical structures post-tutoring. Additionally, 89% of students felt a heightened motivation compared to a self-directed approach and 100% believed the peer tutoring experience enhanced personal retention of reproductive anatomy.These findings are particularly significant given the time gap between anatomy and clinical integration, the high volume of knowledge, challenges of long-term retention, and faculty time constraints when considering reteaching anatomy. This study underscores the efficacy of peer tutoring as a robust educational tool in anatomical studies, helping to bridge the gap of knowledge retention after first year teaching. Moreover, the integration of peer tutors also facilitates self-efficacy and motivation among students, emerging itself as a more comprehensive approach compared to self-directed learning. The next phase of this project aims to collaborate with additional medical schools to conduct cross-institutional studies. This collaborative initiative aims to validate the generalizability of our findings and identify potential variations amongst different educational settings.