Pawlina, Wojciech

Effective communication of medical information by doctors to patients has been found to be positively related to patient satisfaction. In the United States ACGME requires doctors in training to meet the competency of effective communication across many socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. One of the main contributors to ineffective patient communication is inaccurate perception by the doctor about the extent of a patient's medical knowledge. This study seeks to elucidate medical student perceptions of patients’ knowledge of anatomy based on patient age, sex, occupation, education level and race. It also seeks to understand which of these matter most in guiding students’ assumptions. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire, created in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic Patient Education Center, which included a multiple choice anatomy quiz and demographic information. First year medical students who had just completed their gross anatomy course were given the same anatomy quiz and a survey that included the demographic profiles of the patients. They were then asked to predict how well the patients scored. Student perceptions of patient knowledge were compared to the actual scores. Pending the results of this study, we anticipate that medical students will over‐estimate patients’ anatomical knowledge. This project was funded by the Department of Anatomy, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

Emotional intelligence (EI), the ability to perceive and respond to emotions, has been shown to increase academic achievement and team performance. Studies to support this association exist largely in the business world, but its impact in medical education is relatively unexplored. The purpose of this study was to determine whether emotional intelligence correlates with individual or team academic performance in the anatomy course. This study hypothesizes that individuals or teams with higher emotional intelligence will score higher in the course and that team‐based learning will increase emotional intelligence scores. Medical students were asked to complete the Self‐report Emotions Intelligence Test (SSEIT) at the beginning and the end of the 7‐ week anatomy course. Average EI scores for each team were compared to final course grades as well as cumulative daily quiz grades. Individual EI scores were also compared to individual grades, and change in EI scores over the course was assessed. Preliminary analysis of initial EI scores vs. averaged quiz scores at the midpoint of the course does not appear to show significant correlations. Final results, to be analyzed at the end of the course, may hold stronger predictive value in determining association between EI and team performance. This research is supported by the Department of Anatomy at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Grant Funding Source : Department of Anatomy, Mayo Clinic

For several years, medical schools in the United States have been urged to integrate public health and population science into their curricula. The first‐year Gross Anatomy course at Mayo Clinic serves as a teaching platform for many non‐technical skills that include professionalism, patient communication and near‐peer teaching that aim to meet core ACGME requirements. As part of the standard Gross Anatomy curriculum, students are assessed on a laboratory based learning activity referred to as a “bedside presentation,” where each small group is assigned a clinical condition and asked to present a hypothetical case as it relates to the anatomy and radiology on their cadaver. The objective of this study is to assess whether first‐year medical students’ knowledge of global health disparities and national population health improved after a longitudinal curriculum revision that combined public health concepts with the bedside presentation. Students first learned to examine a major cause of morbidity and/or mortality on a global/population level following which each team was asked to present a hypothetical patient (relating to their assigned cadaver) with an acute condition associated with the disease or behavior that they had researched earlier. Teams focused on associated anatomic and radiographic findings and used full‐body CT scans and corresponding anatomic parts to illustrate the effects of the disease. Pre‐course data indicate that students have a 50% understanding of population health trends. We anticipate that first‐year medical students will have an improved awareness of public health problems globally and in the United States after completing this activity in Gross Anatomy.

The increasing dependence on radiologic diagnostic modalities in clinical practice has necessitated innovative teaching methods that introduce radiology into early medical curriculum. At Mayo Medical School cadaveric CT images are integrated into the first year gross anatomy course. Using post‐preservation, non‐contrast full body CT scans of their cadavers, medical students are able to correlate radiologic images to their dissection specimen. The AquariusNET thin client software used to view the images provides students numerous options for image manipulation including standard and oblique sagittal and coronal images and three‐dimensional renderings. Students are requested to record interesting findings from the imaging studies as part of an autopsy report. They are also provided with daily radiology learning objectives that require them to visualize specific anatomic structures. At the end of the course, students were comfortable accessing the cadaver CT data, correlating gross and CT anatomy and appreciating relationships of anatomic structures. They enjoyed interactions with radiology faculty and were more prepared to evaluate radiologic examinations. Grant Funding Source : Department of Anatomy

Given curricular time constraints, the complex relationships of pelvic viscera can be difficult for students to master. We developed an interactive 3‐dimensional virtual pelvic model using high‐resolution 3‐Telsa magnetic resonance and 64‐slice computed tomographic datasets of a healthy male. The aim of this study was to determine if use of this curricular adjunct was associated with improved comprehension of pelvic anatomy as measured by a 33 item test. The software was distributed to 47 first year medical students during their 3‐day pelvic anatomy curriculum. Forty students (85%) completed the test. Students used the software for a median of 15 (interquartile range [IQR] 10 – 22) minutes; total minutes studying pelvic anatomy was 240 (IQR 125 – 525) minutes. Minutes of software use was strongly associated with the total study time (p<0.0001). On univariate analysis, pelvic anatomy test scores were associated with both minutes of software use (p=0.05) and total study time (p=0.04). On multivariate analysis both software use (p=0.12) and total study time (p=0.08) trended towards significant association with test scores. Most students used the software alongside books to aid in initial spatial orientation to the pelvis. Virtual anatomy software can be a valuable, effective adjunct to traditional anatomy education. Source of funding: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Grant Funding Source : Source of funding: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Teaching assistants (TA's) are an important resource in facilitation of 1st year courses at Mayo Medical School. Formal student teaching positions are available to 3rd students seeking opportunities to develop and refine peer teaching skills. While the Gross Anatomy course has traditionally utilized TA's as peer teachers the role of the TA has not been formally defined. Student evaluations as well as structured faculty and TA interviews were used to quantitatively assess how well TAs perceived their achievement of those goals compared to student and faculty perception. Expectations of TA's role include peer teaching through formal delivery of briefing sessions, group supervision during laboratory sessions, preparation of prosections, organization of review and informal practical examination sessions. TA's may extend their interaction with students through tutoring and participate in medical education‐based research projects. Furthermore, TA's are role players in assessment of student course performance. TA perception of their ability to meet expectations matched faculty and student perceptions. Student evaluations showed TA's to be one of the most highly rated resources in their teaching and learning and valued TA's for their capacity to relate to them, provide hands‐on clinical applications for basic science concepts, emotional support, time commitment to tutoring and assistance in the laboratory. Grant Funding Source : Mayo Medical School

Despite increase in residency programs including ultrasound training, few medical schools have incorporated it into their curricula. The Gross Anatomy course at Mayo Medical School has introduced ultrasound in the curriculum. Cadaver dissection teaches students static anatomical relationships, but ultrasound offers dynamic display of how those relationships can change with movement. Ultrasound curriculum consists of four 1 hour didactic sessions and five 30 minute hands‐on modules, covering Carpal tunnel, Heart, Abdominal viscera, and Doppler imaging of blood flow. Each module is guided by a checklist of techniques and structures. Students are graded using ARS system, and ultrasound objectives are incorporated into the final exam. This study aimed to assess effectiveness of ultrasound curriculum in a 7 week anatomy course. Students were asked to complete pre‐ and post‐ test surveys that assessed whether ultrasound sessions allowed them to better appreciate living anatomy, learn the basics of operating a portable ultrasound machine, and become more comfortable with medical technology. Pre and post surveys showed that ultrasound helped students appreciate living anatomy, and that they were comfortable with technology. There was an increase in students’ perception of their ability to interpret ultrasound images with a p‐value of 0.000026. Ultrasound was a successful addition to the anatomy curriculum.

Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare is crucial for quality patient care. While it continues to be an expected competency, most educational programs lack interprofessional learning (IPL) experiences. We administered the five‐point Likert Readiness of Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) to first year medical (MD) and physical therapy (PT) students to evaluate attitudes toward IPL. Students agreed that “For small group learning to work, students need to trust and respect each other” (average of 4.6 out of five points). They also disagreed that learning with other healthcare students is a waste of time or unnecessary (averages of 1.91 and 1.98 respectively). Clearly students desire IPL experiences, and with this in mind, we established an IPL curriculum for their gross anatomy courses. Students were first grouped into interprofessional teams at a social event. In dissection lab, PT students taught upper limb and MD students taught thorax anatomy. We also conducted IPL anatomy based problem solving sessions in a classroom setting. Anatomy courses provide an ideal platform for IPL opportunities. Lab and classroom activities enable students to work together through a shared experience of understanding anatomical concepts from different perspectives. By establishing an IPL curriculum, we hoped to increase interprofessional collaboration early in students’ medical education. Our results indicate positive student attitude toward the learning experience.

The clinical use of ultrasound has dramatically increased, necessitating early ultrasound education and the development of new tools in ultrasound training and assessment. The goal of this study was to devise a novel low‐resource examination that tested the anatomical knowledge and technical skill of early undergraduate medical students in a gross anatomy course. The team‐based ultrasound objective structured practice examination (OSPE) was created as a method for assessing practical ultrasound competencies, anatomical knowledge, and non‐technical skills such as teamwork and professionalism. The examination utilized a rotation of students through four team roles as they scanned different areas of the body. This station‐based examination required four models and four instructors, and tested ultrasound skills in the heart, abdominal vessels, abdominal organs, and neck regions. A Likert scale survey assessed student attitudes toward the examination. Survey data from participants (n = 46) were examined along with OSPE examination grades (n = 52). Mean and standard deviations were calculated for examination items and survey responses. Student grades were high in both technical (96.5%). and professional (96.5%) competencies with structure identification scoring the lowest (93.8%). There were no statistical differences between performances in each of the body regions being scanned. The survey showed that students deemed the examination to be fair and effective. In addition, students agreed that the examination motivated them to practice ultrasound. The team‐based OSPE was found to be an efficient and student‐favored method for evaluating integrated ultrasound competencies, anatomical knowledge, team‐work, and professional attributes.