Anatomical knowledge retention in third year medical students prior to OB/GYN and surgery rotations

Abstract

The literature indicates that surgical specialists have a low opinion of students’ anatomical knowledge in the clinical setting; quantification of this is lacking. Our multi‐disciplinary team aimed to identify baseline anatomical knowledge in third‐year medical students prior to surgical rotations and in advance of developing an integrated curriculum.During the first week of the Obstetrics and Gynecology and Surgical rotations, 120 consenting students completed a short multiple‐choice examination consisting of clinically‐ based anatomy questions. Examination scores were calculated for each anatomic category based upon 100% expected knowledge after preparing for the national board examination. Preliminary data indicate a significant anatomic knowledge gap between the preclinical and clinical years: a majority of students scored below 50% in vascular, abdominal, and inguinal anatomy, 11% in questions of lymphatic drainage of the pelvis, 45% in embryology, and 32% in neuroanatomy.This data will be used to create interactive modules, using principles of adult learning and instructional design, aimed at improving clinically‐relevant anatomic knowledge prior to inpatient surgical rotations. With these endeavors, we aim to show the benefits of longitudinal integration of anatomical modules before surgical specialties in our curriculum.Grant Funding Source: None