Ask an anatomist: Identifying global trends, topics and themes of academic anatomists using twitter

Self Cite

In 2002, a widely publicized report projected an anatomy educator shortage based on department chairpersons' perceptions. Now, 17 years later, the question lingers: "Does an anatomy educator shortage persist and, if so, how severe is the shortage?" Trends in the number, type, and fill rate of anatomy educator job openings were explored by analyzing United States (U.S.) job postings over the past two years. A survey was distributed to leaders of anatomyrelated departments in the U.S., Canada, and European Union. Most departmental leaders who responded (65% or more) from the U.S./Canada (n = 81) and the European Union (n = 52) anticipate they will have 'moderate' to 'great' difficulty hiring anatomy educators in gross anatomy, histology, and embryology over the next five years. Within the U.S., the number of anatomy educator job postings at medical schools more than doubled from at least 21 postings in 2017 to 52 postings in 2018. Twenty-one percent of postings between 2017 and 2018 were never filled. While the number of anatomy educator openings within the U.S./Canada is perceived to remain in a steady state for the next five years, the European Union estimates a five-fold increase in the number of openings. Departmental leaders prioritize anatomy educator applicants who have teaching experience (mean = 4.64 on 5-point scale), versatility in teaching multiple anatomy disciplines (mean = 3.93), and flexibility in implementing various teaching pedagogies (mean = 3.69). Collectively, these data suggest the shortage of anatomy educators continues in the U.S./Canada and the European Union.

Section: Departmental Leadership Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Look at the Anatomy Educator Job Market: Anatomists Remain in Short Supply

Wilson

Notebaert

Schaefer

et al. 2019

Self Cite

“…Three Indiana University School of Medicine blog posts in August (Brokaw et al, ) and October (Husmann et al, ; O’Loughlin et al, ) provided brief updates about AERI 2017 and its immediate effects, and a summary of the development of the institute was presented at the 2018 Experimental Biology meetings (O’Loughlin et al, ). In addition, the weekly @askAnatomist #AnatQ Twitter chat has discussed AERI 2017 and a variety of education research topics brought up during the meeting (Marsland and Lazarus, ), as did a discussion on the Anatomy Education Podcast (AEP, ).…”

Section: Anatomy Education Research Institute 2017 Organization and Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Implementation of the Inaugural Anatomy Education Research Institute (AERI 2017)

O’Loughlin

Husmann

Brokaw

2018

Education research is increasingly being recognized as a legitimate route for faculty development in universities. However, many anatomy faculty lack the appropriate training and access to experienced mentors who can help them develop their own education research projects. Inspired by the American Physiological Society’s Institute for Teaching and Learning, the coauthors proposed and developed the inaugural Anatomy Education Research Institute (AERI 2017). Funded by an American Association of Anatomists Innovations grant, the five‐day institute was held in Bloomington, Indiana in July 2017. The coauthors spent two years preparing the conference schedule, inviting speakers who could discuss education research topics and mentor applicants, reviewing applications, developing assessment instruments for the institute, and hosting the institute. A total of 62 registered participants (applicants and invited speakers) attended AERI 2017. Through a series of presentations and workshops, participants were introduced to many aspects of education research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, including developing rigorous education research questions, determining appropriate methods to assess these questions, and searching the education research literature. Each day also included regular time devoted to work on their own education research project with help from more experienced mentors. Throughout the conference, participants were encouraged to post information on Twitter, using the hashtag #AERI2017. Participants had strong positive impressions of the conference and strongly requested future AERI conferences be held. Follow‐up analyses will assess the institute in alignment with Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation Model, though preliminary evaluation indicates AERI 2017 met the original aims of the proposal.

“…The use of social media in education is increasing (Marsland and Lazarus, 2018), this is because social media is becoming part of the life of both the students and tutors (Trelease, 2016). Social media involve the use of electronic communication tools to create online communities where personal messages, ideas, and information are shared (Guarner and Niño, 2016).…”

Section: Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social media involve the use of electronic communication tools to create online communities where personal messages, ideas, and information are shared (Guarner and Niño, 2016). Examples of social media include blogs, microblogs, and websites (Guarner and Niño, 2016;Marsland and Lazarus, 2018). Microblogs such as Twitter (Twitter, San Francisco, CA) can be used for teaching anatomy because they allow interaction and conversation between the tweep who could be the tutor and the tweep followers who could be the students, thus students reading a tweet on the clinical anatomy of the hippocampus could participate by writing their own comments or posting more questions (Hennessy et al, 2016;Marsland and Lazarus, 2018).…”

Section: Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Examples of social media include blogs, microblogs, and websites (Guarner and Niño, 2016;Marsland and Lazarus, 2018). Microblogs such as Twitter (Twitter, San Francisco, CA) can be used for teaching anatomy because they allow interaction and conversation between the tweep who could be the tutor and the tweep followers who could be the students, thus students reading a tweet on the clinical anatomy of the hippocampus could participate by writing their own comments or posting more questions (Hennessy et al, 2016;Marsland and Lazarus, 2018). Likewise, tutors can also generate easily searchable hashtags on anatomical topics to engage students (Hennessy et al, 2016;Marsland and Lazarus, 2018).…”

Section: Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Using Electronic Tools and Resources to Meet the Challenges of Anatomy Education in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Balogun

2018

Anatomy education forms the foundation of a successful medical education. This has necessitated the development of innovative ideas to meet up with current realities. Despite these innovative ideas, there are challenges facing anatomy education, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa. Problems such as inadequate teaching experts and outdated curricula have made anatomy education in sub‐Saharan Africa uninviting and disinteresting. Several interventions have been suggested, such as the procurement of teaching tools and upgrading of teaching infrastructure. However, in this age of information technology; anatomy education, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa could benefit from the integration of electronic tools and resources. This article explores the electronic tools and resources such as three‐dimensional printing, educational games, and short videos that are readily available for the teaching of anatomy in sub‐Saharan Africa. The author concludes by discussing how these electronic tools and resources can be used to address many of the challenges facing anatomy education in sub‐Saharan Africa.