The Implementation and Evaluation of a Clinically Oriented Anatomy Laboratory Session (COALS) for Undergraduate Nursing Students
Authors: Roach Victoria 
Published: June 2021

Rationale

It is accepted that a sound command of human anatomy is key to success in most health professions. Despite this widely accepted notion, nursing schools continue to devalue the role of anatomy in nursing education. Globally, nursing students are denied learning opportunities provided by the human anatomy laboratory, where students acquire a working knowledge of human anatomy. This has led to dissatisfaction among recent nursing graduates, who reflect that their education has failed to provide the basis to comprehend the anatomical and physiological processes encountered in daily practice.

Aim

This experiment assessed students' ability to perform a common clinical skill under two learning paradigms: the traditional nursing curriculum in isolation, and the traditional curriculum when supplemented with an interactive, clinically oriented anatomy laboratory session (COALS). Students' clinical skill performance was assessed as they completed the nasogastric tube insertion (NGTI), which is routinely assessed in the curriculum by skilled nursing faculty, via a validated checklist.

Methodology

This study was conducted with approval from Oakland University's institutional review board. Participants were volunteer YR1 Bachelor of Nursing students at Oakland University (n = 47). Participants were randomly assorted into two groups. The Supplemented Curriculum group (n=26) completed the COALS prior to their NGTI evaluation. The Traditional Curriculum group (n=21) completed the COALS after their NGTI evaluation. At the outset, participants were assessed for anatomical knowledge, general self‐efficacy, and NGTI specific self‐efficacy to ensure group uniformity. The supplement group participated in a COALS specific to the anatomy of the respiratory and upper GI tract, lead by a team of anatomy and nursing faculty. The COALS spanned 90 minutes, and used professionally dissected cadaveric specimens to correlate anatomical relationships with the clinical skill of NGTI. Following completion of the COALS, the supplement group completed the NGTI on a manikin under evaluation by an expert nursing preceptor using a modified version of the NGTI checklist. Concurrently, participants in the traditional group were instructed on NGTI using only traditional clinical skill instruction. Following instruction, the traditional group completed the NGTI using a manikin, while being evaluated. In all assessments, the nursing preceptor was blinded to the participants' group allocation to reduce bias. Following the NGTI evaluation, participants in the traditional group were invited to participate in the COALS.

Results

At the outset, both groups were equal in their knowledge of anatomy (p=.94), general self‐efficacy (p=.15), NGTI specific self‐efficacy (p=.11), and experience with NGTIs (p=.37). A significant difference was observed in NGTI performance scores between the two groups (p<.001). Individuals participating in the COALS outperformed their traditional curriculum peers.

Conclusions

Nurses require detailed anatomical knowledge to probe, palpate, auscultate and assess their patients. However, specimen based anatomy has been devalued, and largely removed from the curriculum globally in favor of passive, image based instruction and technological interventions. By quantifying the impact of the COALS on the performance of clinical skills, this experiment provides a rationale for the re‐inclusion of specimen‐based anatomy in nursing curricula.

Support or Funding Information

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Fellowship in Medical Education Research Stipend

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.