Educator perspectives on non‐technical, discipline‐independent skill acquisition: An international, qualitative study

Abstract

Gross anatomy education utilizing body donors and human specimens assists the acquisition of non‐traditional, discipline‐independent skills (NTDIS) such as teamwork, communication, and leadership. Alterations to anatomy curricula, such as those resulting from the COVID‐19 pandemic, likely impact NTDIS acquisition, yet how this manifests is unclear. This study, therefore, explored anatomy educator perspectives on NTDIS acquisition as a response to changes in teaching delivery. Gross anatomy educators across different countries were recruited and took part in one‐on‐one, semi‐structured interviews that were audio recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed using the framework method. Basic statistical analyses were performed on demographic and categorical data. Fifteen educators from five continents were interviewed (average length 32.5 min, range 17–51 min). Educator experience ranged from 0–4 years (n = 3) to 20+ years (n = 7). Most taught using dissection (n = 14) with prosection use (n = 13) also common. Themes relating to NTDIS included expected content (respect for donors, teamwork, communication skills, humanistic values), assessable content, assessment challenges, and impact of curriculum changes; NTDIS unique to anatomy education included cultural, ethical, and social considerations around dead bodies, including boundaries, and social norms. Informed by curriculum alterations during the COVID‐19 pandemic, this first empirical study of anatomy educator perspectives on NTDIS highlights the potentially adverse educational impacts of decreased interaction with body donors and human specimens on NTDIS acquisition and difficulties with NTDIS assessment. Findings support gross anatomy education as unique in providing NTDIS that cannot easily be replicated elsewhere. Recommendations around NTDIS‐specific educator competencies and promoting NTDIS are provided.

Honoring human body donors: Five core themes to consider regarding ethical treatment and memorialization

“…Despite the fact that there are no standardized ethical guidelines, respect for donors has been universally noted as a non-traditional, discipline-independent skill that anatomy educators expect of their students. 52 Therefore, to ensure professionalism and ethical treatment of donors in the laboratory, a formal and detailed policy should be provided to and signed by the students. This policy reminds students upfront of the donor's rights and protections and should include a statement of possible consequences for noncompliance (such as a failing grade, professional probation, or dismissal from the laboratory or program if a student, or a disciplinary investigation if a faculty or staff member).…”

“…A prime example of this is how students work as a team to complete the dissections, which can help them build professional characteristics related to teamwork and self-regulation 4 and promote humanistic values. 52 In this way, the donor can actually be a better teacher than any living educator since they can teach the students more about anatomy and humanistic values than any lecture or textbook.…”

Ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence in anatomy education: Should AI human body simulations replace donors in the dissection room?

“…The nontechnical, discipline-independent skills that are unique to the dissection room have proved difficult to illuminate empirically, though recent works (Flack & Nicholson, 2018;Stephens et al, 2019;Byram et al, 2023) have illuminated what makes this space unique and valuable compared with other learning environments. The dissection room exposes students to an examination of death, stimulates reflections on how colleagues and classmates interact with and respect the dead, highlights the altruism of humans who willingly donate their remains to strangers for improving their knowledge, and reinforces core ethical principles underlying healthcare and the interaction between the physician and patient.…”