Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Physiology for a Master Physician Assistant Program

All that hard work behind a syllabus is very rarely perfection; in the end, is just ‘clay’ to be reshaped by the needs and expectations of both students and teachers. The previous statement summarizes my recent experience teaching a clinically oriented anatomy and physiology course to students in our Master Degree program for Physician Assistant. My first quarter was a disappointment, but the 2 nd quarter was a success (based on student's evaluations). Although I did little changes in the online physiology modules, the greatest change was in the clinical anatomy section. The hallmark of the success revolved around two aspects: teamwork, and empowering through active learning. The implementation of three learning methods made a big difference: rotating teaching stations, training experts, and peer teaching. A student from each team was trained to become an expert in specific anatomic territory including clinical applications, thus be a resource in their teams. Each student took seriously the responsibility for their peers learning. Students left every lab with a sense of accomplishment, confident about how much they learned and making plans to meet after hours. Last year's learned lessons of dos and don'ts were pivotal to a great start with this new class. I am looking forward to our mutual learning and sharing. Support: Henry Gray/Elsevier Distinguished Educator Award Plenary Symposium