A surgical anatomy training session improves knowledge and confidence in identifying anatomical structures among medical students on the surgical clerkship

Abstract

Recent trends in medical education have shifted towards earlier clinical experiences with reduced preclinical time, thereby decreasing didactic time for human anatomy prior to surgical rotations. Here we assess a dedicated program designed to teach relevant general surgery principles to students at the beginning of their surgical clerkship. All medical students who rotated on the surgery clerkship from 2022 to 2023 at a single institution were included. Students voluntarily and anonymously completed identical assessments prior to, 24 h after, and 10 weeks after participating in a required 4-h in-person prosection-based anatomy session. The assessment was comprised of (1) written multiple-choice questions, (2) image-based multiple-choice questions using intraoperative photographs, and (3) confidence scoring utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. Pre-session and post-session and post-clerkship test survey completion rates were 52% (n = 104), 27.5% (n = 55), and 20% (n = 30), respectively. Post-session and post-clerkship test written, image-based, and confidence scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores. Post-session and post-clerkship test scores were not different with the exception of written-based questions. A focused general surgery anatomy session improves both written-based and image-based test performance as well as overall confidence in medical students’ understanding of surgical anatomy while completing the surgery clerkship. As medical school curricula continue to evolve with earlier clinical exposure at the expense of dedicated anatomy didactics, new methods that teach surgically relevant anatomy should continue to be explored to optimize medical education.