114 - Enriching the medical student experience via a short voluntary dissection course

Poster Board Number: 114
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Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Allan Meares - The University of Sydney; Henry Pleass - The University of Sydney; Annette Burgess - Education Office, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health - The University of Sydney; Kevin Keay - School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health - The University of Sydney

Abstract Body : Introduction & objectives:
Anatomy instruction in the modern-day medical curriculum has largely been replaced by time-reduced methods of teaching. However, more immersive opportunities have been recognised as beneficial, particularly for students planning surgical careers. As an addition to The University of Sydney’s prosection-based anatomy instruction, we developed a Clinical Anatomy Enrichment program - a 5-day intensive course dissecting a particular body region. Participation was voluntary, completed during the vacation period, and carried no credit towards the medical degree. On top of dissection instruction, the course was designed to be further enriching by emphasising clinical input from clinicians themselves, and also the chance to practice different interpersonal skills. For example, rather than formal assessment, a “Show and Tell” activity asked each student to present an aspect of their dissection to the group. Would students acknowledge and appreciate these efforts of enrichment?

Materials & methods:
Twenty-four first and second year students enrolled in the 4-year graduate entry medical program completed the course. Each day students attended refresher/extension anatomy lectures, then presentations from a clinician, then in pairs dissected a lower limb attended by the anatomy lecturer and clinicians. “Show and Tell” was held on the final afternoon.
An anonymous survey was emailed to students immediately following the course, including questions asking how perceptions of surgery had changed after course completion, the value of the presentation task and the absence of formal assessment.

Results:
Twenty students (83.3%) responded to the post-course survey. All (100%) respondents found the course “very helpful” or “extremely helpful”. The clinicians’ involvement was noted favourably by 18/20 (90%) students, appreciating their insights and being able “to contextualise the importance of anatomy”. Most students (18/20, 90%) reflected positively on enjoying learning without formal assessment. Some found the spontaneous quizzing by teachers motivating. The “Show and Tell” activity received positive comments from 18/20 (90%) students, noting the presentation skills they could practice, the focus and opportunity for research and the variations displayed in the group.

Conclusion:
Students almost uniformly responded positively to the elements of enrichment built into our clinical dissection program, seeing beyond simply learning the skills of dissection.

Significance/Implication:
Our results show that an intensive anatomy dissection course, enriched through provision of a clinical context and learner-centred activities, has a place in the modern medical curriculum, offering a meaningful addition for willing students.