Incorporating Clinical Examination Skills Into a Preclinical Anatomy Course: A Method for Facilitating Engagement and Interest

Anatomy instruction is enhanced when students are engaged and interested in course material, and the relevance of the subject matter to their academic success and professional careers is emphasized. We developed a learning activity for a pre-clinical anatomy course using the clinical skills of inspection and palpation of a cadaver donor to demonstrate the value of those skills in learning anatomy and to facilitate anatomical understanding in a format similar to that used in clinical practice. Students were instructed to inspect and palpate various anatomical structures and relationships on their donor cadavers to identify features that could help in recognizing potential abnormalities, understanding disease mechanisms, and learning the anatomical bases of certain medical interventions and surgical procedures. Using these techniques, a tumor mass involving the medial end of the clavicle was identified. Student interest was increased, which led to further study and subsequent pathological identification of the tumor as a rare osteochondroma. We found that the addition of inspection and palpation as methods for learning human anatomy in the dissection laboratory, methods not commonly used, facilitated both engagement and interest in a particular area of the subject. Students also developed a respect for their donors, viewing them as their first patients. In light of the diversity in lifestyles, medical conditions, and causes of death within donor populations, we believe the approach described here can contribute greatly to the value of human anatomy courses that use cadaver donors.