How Common is Pre-Med Dissection Experience?

[NeuroRed]

Hey all,

I was wondering how common is active dissection experience for undergraduates?

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[Rogue42]

My first and foremost advice; stop trying to compete with other people. If the answer to the question is "rare," it still won't help you standout enough to matter when it comes to applications. I know that sounds snarky, but I feel like that is where the root of this question is really stemming from, and i just want to nip that in the bud if so.

Secondly, idk what your question is asking. How common is it for pre-meds to follow this track? How common is it for people in medical school to have this kind of degree? How common is dissection experience? Because there are plenty of people who get degrees in biology with focuses in human anatomy or physiology. There are also people who will have taken anatomy courses with full dissection experience, and people who have taken histology courses.

I guess the answer to your question is: It is not unheard of, but there are usually a handful of students at each medical school that get accepted with that similar background that you are describing.

 

[NeuroRed]

My first and foremost advice; stop trying to compete with other people. If the answer to the question is "rare," it still won't help you standout enough to matter when it comes to applications. I know that sounds snarky, but I feel like that is where the root of this question is really stemming from, and i just want to nip that in the bud if so.

Secondly, idk what your question is asking. How common is it for pre-meds to follow this track? How common is it for people in medical school to have this kind of degree? How common is dissection experience? Because there are plenty of people who get degrees in biology with focuses in human anatomy or physiology. There are also people who will have taken anatomy courses with full dissection experience, and people who have taken histology courses.

I guess the answer to your question is: It is not unheard of, but there are usually a handful of students at each medical school that get accepted with that similar background that you are describing.

Apologies if it came off that way -- I was not trying to hide some undertone of competition or bragging. It's a question of curiosity that came from googling similar programs. My question specifically was whether dissection experience was rare or not. I've edited the post to reflect that without the extra detail.

 

[Rogue42]

Apologies if it came off that way -- I was not trying to hide some undertone of competition or bragging. It's a question of curiosity that came from googling similar programs. My question specifically was whether dissection experience was rare or not. I've edited the post to reflect that without the extra detail.

Then I have a legitimate answer to your question; at my undergraduate institution, pre-med/pre-pa/etc were required to take Human Anatomy and Physiology 1&2 with lab. These labs were on cadavers, but did not cover the depth and breadth of medical school. As far as my classmates, most of them had some type of similar course.

 

[DNAJB6]

Hey all,

I was wondering how common is active dissection experience for undergraduates?

Dissection of what?

 

[jmtbekm]

Then I have a legitimate answer to your question; at my undergraduate institution, pre-med/pre-pa/etc were required to take Human Anatomy and Physiology 1&2 with lab. These labs were on cadavers, but did not cover the depth and breadth of medical school. As far as my classmates, most of them had some type of similar course.

Just to show contrast Rogue42’s experience, I also had Human Anatomy & Physiology 1&2 with labs, but all of our anatomy was on cheap plastic models, and most of our labs consisted of experiments and tests with zero dissection. I have a few classmates who were fortunate enough to have an undergrad cadaver lab, but definitely not the majority of them.

 

[Deltasidearm]

My undergrad general biology labs required dissections of various organisms, culminating in dissections of pigs and sharks. I would be very surprised if most biology programs did not have dissections in at least one class, and I would suspect most applicants have at least some experience in dissections.

 

[NeuroRed]

Hey all,

I was wondering how common is active dissection experience for undergraduates?

To clarify, I mean human cadavers.

 

[Grapesurgery]

On frogs, small pigs and maybe cats in undergrad, fairly common. Undergrad cadaver anatomy is pretty rare I suppose -- I actually haven't heard of it until coming across this thread, in fact.
I have seen some summer programs for the un-modest sum of a few thousand dollars offer dissection experiences to pre-meds (or pre-health in general). I don't think it would help your application in the slightest, only your interest if anything.

As a current med student, I still have and will probably graduate with no dissection experience (thank you COVID for cancelling traditional anatomy!). You're fine.

 

[deleted1066189]

I dissected a fetal pig.
Not sure if any undergrad school would have a human cadaver...the thought of that is disturbing tbh.

 

[deleted1075353]

I've never dissected anything in my life and neither have most of the accepted-to-medical-school kids at my bottom tier undergrad.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

n=1 my undergrad (liberal arts) had a human cadaver lab that we used throughout A&P I and II. It was a good and humbling experience, though I highly doubt Adcoms will judge people on this.

 

[Goro]

Oh I have had my fair share of pre-meds who would only make it into medical school as cadavers for dissection.

We've had quite a few SDNers who meet the same criterion!