Advanced dissection techniques: an elective for 4th‐year students to revisit anatomy, prepare for residency, and aid 1st‐year medical students beginning anatomy (721.1)

Abstract

Our advanced dissection techniques course is designed for 4th‐year students to review and gain more advanced anatomy training especially for students embarking on “anatomy‐intense” residency programs such as surgery, physiatry, obstetrics & gynecology, urology and radiology. The duration of the electives are typically two weeks and they are specifically tailored to the students interests. The dissections conducted by the 4th‐year students are structured and targeted and not all inclusive as were the dissections performed during their first year of medical school. The elective dissections are designed to introduce new approaches, angles, and ways to see relationships between anatomical structures. These dissections, and expositions by the senior students, are also used to supplement the learning of anatomy for our first year students. The opportunity for first‐year students to see specialized anatomy, as presented in the electives, provides a unique exposure otherwise unavailable during the first year. This elective has a two‐fold benefit: it improves confidence in anatomy for 4th‐year students embarking on residency and these dissections are used as valuable teaching aids for the first year curriculum.