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A REVIEW OF ANATOMY EDUCATION IN AUSTRALASIAN MEDICAL SCHOOLS
Author(s) -
Craig S. J.,
Tait N.,
Mcandrew D.,
Georgiou C.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2009.04930_11.x
Subject(s) - curriculum , medical education , medicine , set (abstract data type) , surface anatomy , gross anatomy , anatomy , psychology , pedagogy , computer science , programming language
Changes to medical education in Australia include a proliferation of medical schools, shorter courses, shifts toward problem‐based learning, and large‐scale medical knowledge expansion. Students also spend less time on university campuses and more time at clinical teaching sites which are often non‐specialised, regional and remote from the parent university. These changes leave little room for teaching anatomy as a pure discipline. Aims:1 Analyse contemporary anatomy teaching and assessment in Australasian medical schools. 2 Develop problem based, clinically integrated anatomy teaching as an extension to pure discipline anatomy instruction, and as an adjunct to undergraduate and Pre‐Set surgical education.Methods:1 Using a mailed questionnaire survey to the 21 Australian and New Zealand medical schools, examine the time‐allocation, content, delivery and assessment of anatomy for 2008. 2 A problem based, clinically integrated approach to teaching anatomy developed at The University of Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine will be presented as a generic template and a worked example.Discussion: Currently, without reliable evidence, the degree of divergence between anatomy curricula at the various Australian medical schools is unclear. The questionnaire survey findings will help clarify this, and could be used to inform an RACS policy or consensus statement on anatomy teaching in our medical schools. Our example of a clinically integrated approach to teaching anatomy may serve to illustrate adjustment of anatomy teaching from a pure to a clinically integrated discipline and may also be of pedagogical benefit to anatomical and surgical educators in Australian medical schools.