Effects of Dissection Experience on Student Application to Allied Health Programs

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This pilot study set out to investigate influential factors for students during their application to an entry‐level allied health training program. Specific factors of interest were prior exposure to dissection materials. Research shows that allied health students perceive the dissection process as valuable, however student evaluation of the required anatomical coursework during the application process has never been examined. A total of 160 questionnaires were received, and 113 valid responses gave an overall response rate of 71%. One hundred percent (N=113) of the respondents had just completed the application and enrollment process or were a few semesters removed ‐ 31.9% from the recently accepted entering cohort (RAE), and 68.1% from the first year cohort (Y1). The majority of the respondents (n=101, 89.4%) had at least one prior dissection experience, most (n=57, 50.4%) having just one. Most respondents had previous experience with fetal pig dissections (n=64, 56.6%), and only 4.9% (n=5) had prior exposure to a cadaver. When looking at respondent's prior experience dissecting fetal pigs and the influence of a required human gross anatomy course there was a significant association (Χ2 (1) = 7.24, p<0.01). Further analysis revealed that this association was particularly significant (p<0.001) in the Y1 group. For respondents that indicated human gross anatomy was influential to their decision to apply 68.4% also indicated the presence and required participation in cadaver lab was influential. Results indicate that prior dissection experience, specifically fetal pig dissection, produces a positive perception of the human anatomy required in a graduate curriculum. This could indicate that certain prerequisite coursework benefits the overall perception of anatomy in graduate training.