Medical Gross Anatomy for Large Classes in a ‘Flipped’ Classroom.

Abstract

Traditional Medical Gross Anatomy courses are under considerable pressure to incorporate active learning tools while delivering clinically‐relevant material to large classes in a truncated schedule. Toward those goals, we have devised a course for 215 medical students that examines the basic regions of the body in 24 dissection sessions in a ‘flipped’ classroom format while involving longitudinal exercises and directly incorporating basic Radiology and Pathology. Prior to each laboratory session, students are required to view a ~30 minute custom‐made video introducing the basic anatomy of the exercise that also demonstrates the actual dissection steps. Following the 3‐hour dissection exercise, a faculty presentation extends the anatomical and functional information as well as introduces the clinical relevance of structures or region just examined. Each exercise culminates with a non‐graded self‐assessment quiz. In addition, a CT scan of each cadaver (n=32) and standard path reports for submitted tissue samples provide the students with additional structural and clinical insights into their cadaver. Observations obtained in these sequential exercises are archived in a daily dissection‐group log. A final, grand‐rounds style group presentation synthesizes the longitudinally‐obtained observations into a plausible clinical scenario consistent with a significant health deficit and/or cause of death. The effectiveness of the new curriculum will be evaluated by comparing board scores with those from classes prior to the curriculum change (data not yet available).