Hoch, Wyatt B.

Radiology is often incorporated into medical school anatomy courses. Radiology education furthers understanding of anatomical relationships and prepares students to apply anatomical knowledge in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate how cognitive performance on the radiology components (RC) of a first‐year medical school anatomy course are related to performance on non‐radiological components (NRC). We hypothesized that there is no correlation between these two performance variables, because they rely on different cognitive skills. Thus, anatomy education alone will not prepare students for the interpretation of normal anatomy on radiological images. Medical students (n=51) enrolled in a first‐year anatomy course at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine were included in this study. Assessment data from three lab practical examinations were collected, and RC and NRC questions were compared. A bivariate linear regression and statistical tests were conducted. A subgroup analysis was used to compare students whose RC performance was greater than their NRC performance (RC>NRC, n=33) to students whose RC performance was less than their NRC performance (RC<NRC, n=18). When considering all three exams, students correctly answered 71.1% of the RC questions and 68.3% of NRC questions (p=0.047). Bivariate linear regression demonstrated a moderate positive correlation between RC and NRC performance (p<0.01, r= 0.51); however, performance on RC questions only accounted for 24% of the variability of NRC scores. Additionally, students in the RC>NRC group had significantly higher scores on RC questions than the students in the RC<NRC group (74% vs 66%, p<0.02). Conversely, students in the RC>NRC group had significantly lower scores on NRC questions than the students in the RC<NRC group (61% vs 74%, p=0.001). These results indicate that while RC performance has some influence on NRC performance it does not account for the majority of the difference observed. Such results suggest that the cognitive skills involved in both radiology and anatomy education are different. Therefore, dedicated radiology education is an important component of an anatomy course as it fosters the development of novel skills that are necessary when interpreting normal anatomy on radiological images in a clinical setting. Support or Funding Information None