General Surgery Podium Presentation: Integration of Ultrasound Examinations of Thoracic and Abdominopelvic Anatomy Increases Student Confidence of Associated Anatomical and Clinical Concepts
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Introduction/Purpose: Ultrasound addition to gross anatomy curriculum in medical schools has great success. Students are more interested in anatomy, perform better, and have positive experiences. Fall 2017, Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM) and Arizona School of Podiatric Medicine (AZPOD) integrated ultrasound to the anatomy curriculum.
Methods or Case Description: Ultrasound workshops provide students the ability to visualize anatomy in real-time, appreciate anatomical relationships, and understand the use of ultrasound for point of care assessment. Osteopathic and podiatric students enrolled in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 gross anatomy course utilized ultrasound to appreciate anatomical and physiological relationships of the heart during thoracic anatomy unit, gallbladder and aorta during abdominal unit and bladder and kidneys during posterior abdominal wall/perineum anatomy unit. After the conclusion of the course, students were emailed an anonymous survey to gauge their perceptions of whether the ultrasound experience enhanced their anatomical knowledge. Likert style questions were converted to numerical values and averages were compared using independent t-tests utilizing SPSS software.
Outcomes: Males more strongly agreed the ultrasound workshops for the gallbladder and posterior abdominal wall enhanced their anatomical and clinical comprehension and their ability to orient to the anatomical space than females (p < 0.05). Males and females “strongly agreed” on all cardiac assessments without significant differences (p > 0.05). Osteopathic and podiatric students both “strongly agreed” all workshops enhanced their anatomical and clinical comprehension, promoted further independent investigation into the anatomical relationships in the scanned region, and improved their ability to orient within the scanning area.
Conclusion: Integration of ultrasound workshop to anatomy curriculum of fall 2017 showed subjectively increased anatomical comprehension academically and clinically, stimulation of student curiosity, and improved anatomic orientation.
Learning Objectives:
understand alternative teaching modalities used in undergraduate medical education.
understand the effect on students by implementing the use of ultrasound into the medical school cirriculum.
comprehend the importance of ultrasound in understanding anatomical relationships.
