Learning Anatomy Through Dissection: Perceptions of a Diverse Medical Student Cohort

Practical training in the dissection of human cadavers is a fundamental and traditional component of human anatomy education in medical schools. This practice, however, can be stressful for students and can generate a certain amount of anxiety. The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes, reactions, and anxiety levels of first‐year medical students when working in the dissecting room, over a period of one year, and to relate these anxiety levels to the results of our educational program. This is a before and after descriptive study of students at the University of Castilla‐La‐Mancha. Questionnaires were distributed among them before and after their dissection practices in order to understand their feelings and emotions and their satisfaction about this activity. State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaires were used to assess the students’ ‘state anxiety’ (SA), which dropped significantly from 49.1% to 14% by the end of their first year. Female students started with higher levels of SA than their male counterparts but by the end of the year these had dropped to similar levels. Anxiety and fearful thoughts tended to drop (P > 0.05). In contrast, uncertainty levels showed significant changes, falling from 44.4% to 12.3%. Nonetheless, 100% of students would go through the experience again. Indeed, 98.2% considered that dissection practices were useful in reinforcing the theoretical aspects of their education, and 80.7% believed that dissecting was more useful than theoretical models. Although students were satisfied with dissection practices the experience cause stressful responses.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety among Medical Students when Faced with the Practice of Anatomical Dissection

Barrientos

Criado‐Álvarez

González-González

et al. 2018

“…A large volume of literature is available which elaborates on the ideal methods of teaching/learning anatomy, however, very few focus on the students' perceptions regarding the anatomy curriculum. Researchers have observed that students have strong opinions regarding anatomy education and it has been suggested that these inputs could have a considerable impact on curriculum development (Van Wyk and Rennie, 2015). Some studies have critically evaluated the perceptions of the students regarding the factors that affect their learning in anatomy (Drake et al, 2009;Holla et al, 2009;Cho and Hwang, 2013).…”

Section: Perceptions Of Medical Students Regarding Their Experience Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are of the opinion that undertaking dissection activated their senses of sight and touch, which in turn increased their understanding of anatomy. Such appreciation of visual and tactile stimuli is essential when students, as future practicing doctors are called upon to examine patients (Van Wyk and Rennie, 2015). Learning of anatomy by dissection enables students to connect and correlate knowledge, which helps them to gain conceptual insights, which is necessary for deep and satisfying learning (Entwistle and Tait, 1995).…”

Section: Positive Outlook Of Students Towards Dissectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Students have also indicated that learning through dissection provides them with a foundation which would be useful as future doctors. This aspect is critical in the medical curriculum as a deeper understanding of basic science is essential in relating scientific concepts to practical clinical examples, which is necessary for the development of cognitive skills (Van Wyk and Rennie, 2015). Moreover, it has been observed that medical students emphasize on the sanctity of the cadaver as a human specimen.…”

Section: Positive Outlook Of Students Towards Dissectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cadaveric dissection has been the cornerstone of gross anatomy teaching/learning for centuries and constitutes an integral component of medical education as such (Sugand et al, 2010;Bundi et al, 2014). There is minimal doubt that it significantly contributes to students understanding of gross anatomy, which lays the foundation for successful acquisition of clinical skills required of a physician (Elizondo-Omaña and L opez, 2008;Van Wyk and Rennie, 2015). Despite the fact that there is very little consensus on the best mode of teaching anatomy, over the past few decades, the number of contact hours allocated to dissection has been on the downslide (Ramsey-Stewart et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Cadaveric dissection as an educational tool for anatomical sciences in the 21st century

Ghosh

2016

295

292

Anatomical education has been undergoing reforms in line with the demands of medical profession. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of a traditional method like cadaveric dissection in teaching/learning anatomy at present times when medical schools are inclining towards student-centered, integrated, clinical application models. The article undertakes a review of literature and analyzes the observations made therein reflecting on the relevance of cadaveric dissection in anatomical education of 21st century. Despite the advent of modern technology and evolved teaching methods, dissection continues to remain a cornerstone of anatomy curriculum. Medical professionals of all levels believe that dissection enables learning anatomy with relevant clinical correlates. Moreover dissection helps to build discipline independent skills which are essential requirements of modern health care setup. It has been supplemented by other teaching/learning methods due to limited availability of cadavers in some countries. However, in the developing world due to good access to cadavers, dissection based teaching is central to anatomy education till date. Its utility is also reflected in the perception of students who are of the opinion that dissection provides them with a foundation critical to development of clinical skills. Researchers have even suggested that time has come to reinstate dissection as the core method of teaching gross anatomy to ensure safe medical practice. Nevertheless, as dissection alone cannot provide uniform learning experience hence needs to be complemented with other innovative learning methods in the future education model of anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 10: 286-299. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

The question of dissection in medical training: Not just “if,” but “when”? A student perspective

Webb

Smyth

Hafiz³

et al. 2022

While debate about the use of—and alternatives to—human cadaveric dissection in medical training is robust, little attention has been paid to questions about timing. This study explores the perspectives of medical students and recent graduates with regard to two key questions: when in the degree program do students prefer dissection opportunities and what are the students getting out of participating in dissection? Self‐report survey data from students in preclinical years (n = 105), clinical years (n = 57), and graduates (n = 13) were analyzed. Most (89%) preferred dissection during the preclinical years, with no effect by training year (χ2 = 1.98, p = 0.16), previous anatomy (χ2 = 3.64, p = 0.31), or dissection (χ2 = 3.84, p = 0.26) experience. Three key findings emerged. First, the majority of students prefer to dissect in the preclinical years because they view dissection as important for developing foundation knowledge and delivering an opportunity for consolidation prior to transitioning to primarily clinical studies. In addition, students recognize that it is a time‐consuming activity requiring specialized facilities. Second, three main understandings of the purpose of dissection were reported: depth of learning, learning experience, and real‐world equivalence. Third, these student perspectives of the purpose of dissection are associated with timing preferences for dissection opportunities. The results identify the preclinical phase as the optimal time to strategically integrate dissection into medical training in order to maximize the benefits of this unique learning opportunity for students and minimize its impact upon curricular time.