The Teaching of Anatomy in the Integrated Medical Curriculum as Practised at the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Abstract

Since its inception in 1977, the school of Medical Sciences has adopted’ sPICES’ in its medical curriculum. Anatomy, the blocks of alphabets of medicine, is taught in the first three years of the five-year course. Most of it is covered in the first year. Learning material includes prosected specimens, plastinated specimens and models. The students undergo continuous assessment in the form of MCQ, MEQ and OSCE. They find Anatomy, which is not taught in detail, difficult to learn and remember due to various reasons. There are inputs from too many different departments as required in an integrated curriculum. Tutorials and discussions in Anatomy are limited. All the Anatomy lecturers are medically-qualified from traditional schools, who may not totally understand the integrated system. Moderators for group discussions in Year 2 and 3 are from various disciplines. Due to the integrated question papers, it is difficult to assess performance in Anatomy. An analysis of the results of the Anatomy sections in the various papers will be presented. Limited teaching leads to lack of interest in the subject, which results in problems in getting candidates for postgraduate courses in Anatomy. If this trend continues, Anatomy will lose its role and Anatomists will become rare species.