Benefit of Pre‐Matriculation Anatomy Courses on Medical Student Performance in an Integrated Curriculum

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2021-05, Vol.35 (S1), p.n/a, Article fasebj.2021.35.S1.03802
• Main Authors: Latacha, Kimberly, Svec, Austin, Brown, Megan, Samson, Kaeli, Nelson, Kari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.S1.03802

Background Gross Anatomy has long been regarded as one of the most challenging content areas for first year medical students. To gain a potential advantage, many medical students choose to take pre‐matriculation courses in anatomy. Prior research has studied the impact of these courses on medical student performance in a traditional curriculum with mixed results. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the benefit of different types of pre‐medical anatomy courses in the setting of an integrated curriculum. Methods Using a mixed methods design, a total of 220 students from three separate medical school cohorts were surveyed regarding pre‐matriculation coursework as well as perceptions about preparation and stress, and those results were compared with student performance on anatomy exams. Students from the final cohort of a traditional anatomy curriculum (10‐week block) as well as two cohorts from an integrated curriculum (18‐month systems‐based blocks) were included. Study data were collected and managed using the REDCap electronic data capture tool and analyzed with SAS software. Results More students in the integrated curriculum took pre‐matriculation anatomy courses than in the traditional curriculum (66.7% vs. 59.1%), supporting the increasing trend of this education. In both the traditional and integrated curricular groups, those with prior anatomy experience felt more prepared for the course (58% vs. 6% traditional and 65% vs. 5% integrated felt prepared, p