Teaching discipline‐independent skills in anatomy

Dramatic changes in the anatomical sciences education challenged the anatomy faculty and their education philosophy. As medical curriculum evolves, conventional courses need to adopt a new system of instruction. The overarching objective of an anatomy course is to provide anatomy‐specific knowledge and concepts for clinical application. However in the new environment, anatomy courses must incorporate other longitudinal objectives that will be revisited in clinical courses. These include discipline‐independent subjects such as leadership, teamwork, professionalism, and effective communication. Leadership can be fostered through classroom team‐based learning activities under the direction of a designated student team leader. Students are actively immersed in collaborative learning and as a team are responsible for obtaining, sharing, and presenting knowledge to other classmates. Professionalism in the classroom entails acts of dutifulness and respect for others. Emphasis on peer‐teaching results in development of communication skills that ensure effective transfer of knowledge and information between the members of the learning team. Also, an early introduction of peer and self evaluations result in enhancing assessment skills. The design of the contemporary anatomy curriculum must implement student‐centered approaches.