Developing a Sensible Paradigm for Compressed Training in Gross Anatomy in the First Year of Medical School

Goal The goal of this study is to adapt approaches to teaching of Gross Anatomy in the first year of medical school in an increasingly compressed time frame by focusing upon a basic core of clinical/anatomical knowledge essential for future medical practice while also preparing students for the Step 1 Board Examinations. Background Knowledge of the structure of the human body is fundamental to the practice of medicine. However, the time available for study of Gross Anatomy in medical school has decreased in recent years due to increases in the volume of material in other basic and clinical sciences and through curricular compression. At the same time, many premedical and undergraduate training programs have also eliminated/minimized training in Anatomical Sciences. Many students entering medical school do not have previous exposure and need assistance in the early stages of training in anatomical sciences. Methods Teaching of Gross Anatomy was modified in the areas of Head and Neck and Lower Extremity. These changes included 1) focusing upon the anatomy underlying basic clinical problems in medicine that have been tested in Step 1 Board Examinations; 2) maintaining balanced training in body structure through laboratory dissections and independent study of prosections and radiographic images; 3) reducing the volume of material previously requiring memorization. The effects of these changes was evaluated by use of a data base of questions on computer based written examinations that have been asked repetitively (or with minor modification) over a six year period and by regional practical exams. Repeat questions were classed as Basic Science, Clinical or Procedural/Positional based on content. Student scores on specific questions were derived from ExamSoft reports and analyzed in Excel and Sigmastat by the investigator. Results Student performance has been maintained at a high level on both written and practical examinations throughout the series of curricular changes. After modification of pedagogy, scores on repeat questions showed no significant decrease in all categories despite a reduction in the duration of time allotted for study. In addition, examination performance showed a bimodal distribution after implementation of the changes, facilitating identification of students needing assistance in learning. Conclusions These results suggest that it is possible to maintain training and performance in Gross Anatomy in a compressed time period by a balanced approach of increasing focus on clinically related topics combined with a reduction in material requiring memorization, utilization of independent learning in study of prosections and laboratory dissections. The format of material presented in these regions was also changed to facilitate review of Gross Anatomy in study for the Step 1 board examination and this will be evaluated in future years. In addition, our previous study suggested that performance in Gross Anatomy is a valuable indicator for students needing additional assistance (due to variations in prior training) in study for the Step 1 examination. We plan to also develop additional methods to aid those students in attaining knowledge of anatomy essential for the practice of medicine. Support or Funding Information The investigator is supported by Grant U54GM104942 from the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .