Anatomical Education PhD Student Indiana University School of Medicine Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Abstract Body : GAUGING THE PERCEIVED RETENTION OF ANATOMICAL KNOWLEDGE IN RESPECT TO THE PREFERRED STUDY TOOLS UTILIZED BY IU MEDICAL STUDENTSBrandon S. Flom & Polly R. Husmann, PhD Introduction & Objective: When beginning medical school, one is met with an onslaught of information. With such high levels of rigor, this calls into question how much content is retained by medical students as they navigate through the content. In response to this level of information in a short time, students may seek out additional study tools. These programs can facilitate the compartmentalization of such vast amounts of information and provide means for self-regulation and spaced repetition. Prevalent study aids utilized include Anki, Quizlet & GoodNotes, to name a few. This study will focus on retention of the material taught in the course ANAT-A620, the anatomical science beginning medical students must take at IU School of Medicine. Anatomical science is a fundamental pillar in respect to clinical application. Therefore, it is important to uncover how supplemental study aids in this course are used, as well as their perceived effect on retention of the material. Thus, this study's objective was to determine the preferred study tools used by first- and second-year medical students and gauge the perceived effect of these tools on retention of this material following the conclusion of the course. Methodology: A questionnaire, targeting first and second year medical students, was developed and vetted by an expert panel to help establish validity. The resultant questions were then administered to first- and second-year medical students to gather data on what supplemental study aids they used and the perceived effects of those tools as it pertains to long-term retention of the material. Gathered data was explored via SPSS statistical analysis with a p value cut-off established at 0.05. Results: The results demonstrate a variety of perspectives from first- and second-year medical students. In general, students perceive their study tools to provide a relatively high level of long-term retention. Variation in perceived retention was also noted between study tools. Conclusion: Students utilized a variety of study tools, and in general, they reported confidence in their chosen tool’s effect on long-term retention. Additionally, most students recommend their study tools to other medical students. Significance/Implications: Given the reported confidence medical students had in their study tools, a future study that compares actual retention of the material against this high level of perceived retention would be of high interest. Furthermore, any uncovered relationships can be used to improve these study tools, and supply educators with insight into how medical students effectively breakdown high loads of information.
