Virtual dissection approach is an alternative approach to teach post‐traumatic stress students

Abstract

Human gross anatomy is largely considered to be the central course in the curriculum of first year Allied health students. The course uses cadaver dissection as the primary teaching modality. This traditional approach in anatomy instruction provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the three-dimensional organization of the human body. The well-established cadaveric approach in anatomy education fails to appreciate the profound psychological effects on students with existing psychological disorders. This case report is a presentation of such effects of a traditional approach on a student with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The student used as the case study served in the United States Army in Afghanistan and was given an honorable discharge due to a diagnosis of tinnitus and adjustment disorder. The student was also assigned a disability rating of 40%. This student was exposed to a high-stress environment which led to the diagnosis of PTSD. The cadaveric approach to the student's anatomy education only exacerbated his condition, triggering his stress disorder. It should also be noted that the student had lost a relative due to colon cancer, as this made abdominal dissection difficult to perform. An alternate approach was considered to accommodate the student, while still maintaining the sufficiency needed to provide the standard of education for a health sciences student. The virtual approach of cadaveric dissections, with benefits impossible for a traditional dissection, also strives to provide students with the opportunity to improve the understanding of the three-dimensional and spatial relationships of human gross anatomy. This case is presented to those who teach anatomy to identify this modality of education as an alternative approach to sufficient and comprehensive anatomy education.