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Bridging Anatomy, Histology, and Pathology: A Novel Curriculum Component Incorporating Self-directed Learning for First-Year Medical Students

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Abstract

During cadaveric dissection or prosection, medical students frequently encounter pathology that can be a springboard to further learning. We designed a novel educational activity linking anatomy, histology, and pathology that incorporated self-directed learning and teamwork, followed by feedback and instruction from pathologists. Post-activity, more than 97% of students rated the activity as useful (Likert scale of 1 to 5), indicating this activity should be continued in the future. Strengths included self-directed learning, content and design, and teamwork, peer, and faculty interactions. Clarity of assignment expectations, range of pathologies, and virtual presentation format remained areas for improvement.

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Data Availability

The raw data from this study are available from the corresponding author, L.C.H., upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

Joyce Ou, Linda Hanley, and Dale Ritter ran pilot studies. Dale Ritter and Amy Chew identified unknowns in anatomy lab and facilitated tissue procurement. Linda Hanley procured tissue and photographs, and prepared online case studies. Joyce Ou and Linda Hanley evaluated student submissions and facilitated student discussions. Kristina Monteiro designed course evaluation. Luba Dumenco and Kristina Monteiro organized course logistics, analyzed student feedback, and prepared manuscript tables. Luba Dumenco prepared first draft of manuscript; Joyce Ou and Linda Hanley revised. All authors reviewed and commented on the final draft.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda C. Hanley.

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Ethics Approval

Data was collected via anonymous student evaluations; this was not considered human subjects research per Brown University IRB.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Hanley, L.C., Ou, J., Ritter, D. et al. Bridging Anatomy, Histology, and Pathology: A Novel Curriculum Component Incorporating Self-directed Learning for First-Year Medical Students. Med.Sci.Educ. 33, 1055–1059 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-023-01870-4

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