Many of us have been on virtual second look tours, and most schools like to brag about their anatomy labs. We hear how first year students will spend lots of time there. How will M1 students be able to learn in this setting given the current situation with social distancing? Will the sequence of curriculum need to adjust a bit? Does anyone want to venture a guess?
Another impossible question to answer - so let's try!!
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deleted480308
Anatomy lab is minimally useful to most medical decision making
Are you saying it's not really a necessary part of the education? More supplemental?
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In the traditional curriculum, teams of students do their own dissection of a cadaver. It is laborious and tedious work. For some students, it is a valuable learning experience. For those for whom it will be very important, additional opportunities will be provided during residency (e.g. otolayrngology residents spend time in anatomy lab on head and neck dissections to take their experience with that portion of the anatomy to the next level).
Will teams work asyncronously over a period of days to accomplish the task while social distancing? Will gross lab have a work around for the incoming class? These are good questions to ask if you are making a choice.
Some schools have moved away from the time sink that is student dissection and offer pro-sections for students to examine without the work of digging through mounds of fat and flesh.
Again, ask what the school does and if there is a plan to change in the coming year.
Will teams work asyncronously over a period of days to accomplish the task while social distancing? Will gross lab have a work around for the incoming class? These are good questions to ask if you are making a choice.
Some schools have moved away from the time sink that is student dissection and offer pro-sections for students to examine without the work of digging through mounds of fat and flesh.
Again, ask what the school does and if there is a plan to change in the coming year.
Could there be a spreadsheet to track schools answers on their COVID related contingency planning (questions from second look days, as people call, etc.)? @TheDataKing
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Excellent info, as usual. Thanks.
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deleted1005514
I’m not sure that many schools have made contingency plans for 1st and 2nd years yet. It’s too soon, and the country could open back up after they’ve meticulously worked out new plans and spent a lot of money making it happen, essentially negating everything they’ve done.
I know my school isn’t communicating any changes to 1st/2nd years yet...we’re basically being told to sit tight and wait.
I wouldn't worry too much about missing out on a traditional anatomy experience. It's probably more necessary than learning biochemistry, and biochemistry is considered necessary, but you'll forget most of it by your 4th year unless you decide to go into surgery or radiology.
On that note, med school education is sort of personalized, and beyond the core components, what's necessary to one person's medical education is different from another's. My school though the required pediatrics sub-i I did during match season was necessary, but I can assure you it was not a necessary part of my personal medical education.
