Creating Advanced Anatomy Electives for Students in the Clerkship Years
Authors: Mahone Ian , Lackey‐Cornelison Wendy 
Published: June 2021

Anatomy often comes early in many medical school curricula when students may view it as primarily a surgically related discipline. Yet as many of us know, it is a vital basic science not only for future surgeons but for all those in health sciences. At WMed, students in the clerkship years are provided an opportunity to participate in an advanced musculoskeletal elective intended for those interested in orthopedic surgery or the option to create their own elective based on regional or medical specialty interest. Revisiting anatomy during the clerkship years provides a unique opportunity to elaborate on the clinical significance of anatomical structures and incorporate other medical technologies into this education. This presentation will describe a fourth‐year anatomy elective designed for a student interested in anesthesiology.

“Special Topics” is an elective option available to students during their clerkship years. The intent is to allow students to collaborate with faculty to create two to four‐week courses that relate directly to their interests. In this case, anesthesiology special topics elective was chosen with focus on interscalene nerve blocks (INB) and supraclavicular nerve blocks (SNB). The generalized plan of the course included: independent procedure review from anesthesiology textbooks (surface anatomy landmarks, patient positioning, technique, and ultrasound anatomy), review of normal anatomy on prosected cadavers and cross sections, mark‐up and dissection on a fresh‐frozen donor, and simulation of ultrasound guided techniques.

Procedure review (1.5 hours) occurred prior to each gross anatomy session to ensure that the student had an appropriate understanding of the structures involved. This step was repeated with each nerve block procedure. The student generated a list of structures that should be identified correctly to safely perform each type of nerve block. Gross anatomy review (3 hours) was also repeated for each type of nerve block and consisted of correctly pinning and labeling structures involved in the procedure. The student then practiced ultrasound technique on the presenting author. Captured video and images were highlighted for student review of technique and anatomic structures. Finally, the student marked surface anatomy landmarks on a fresh‐frozen cadaver and inserted needles at injection sites. Needles remained in the cadaver as placeholders while dissection was performed around injection sites to see if placement was correct (4 hours).

Revisiting gross anatomy during the clerkship years appears to increase students' confidence. Anatomy‐based electives for students during their clerkship years provide opportunities for advanced undergraduate medical students to consolidate anatomical knowledge. The notion that anatomy can be learned once and retained is unrealistic. We encourage faculty to consider options to create opportunities for students to revisit the anatomy lab during their clerkship rotations to better prepare for real life application in residency.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.