Correlation Between Pre Medical Exposure to Anatomy and Performance in Medical Gross Anatomy

Medical students are often faced with a large volume of basic science content during their first year of medical school, and performance in these courses can weigh heavily on their future career opportunities. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is the state's only academic medical center, and admission is typically limited to Mississippi residents. Although there is no anatomy prerequisite for admission, there are many opportunities for pre‐health students to receive anatomical experience within undergraduate institutions and Master's graduate programs. A growing number of entering medical students are participating in a few, single‐year preparatory graduate programs designed specifically to facilitate admission into medical and dental programs. The aim of this research was to determine if there was any correlation between previous exposure to pre‐health Anatomy courses, whether undergraduate or graduate, and performance in Medical Gross Anatomy. This study correlated admissions variables (e.g. sex, age, undergraduate GPA, prior anatomy coursework, MCAT score, prior health professions experience) with various measures of Medical Gross Anatomy course performance and first semester GPA. Initial results indicate that with an average class size of 145, less than 1/3 of incoming students have any anatomy coursework prior to taking medical gross anatomy. Additional analyses will examine correlations with other admissions data and may be used to help advise students on how best to prepare for medical school. Results may also serve as bi‐directional validation of admissions criteria and medical school performance. Medical school admissions requirements can be re‐evaluated, the composition of dissection groups can be strategically selected, and at‐risk students may be identified for participation in early intervention options.