Anatomical Sciences Education最新文献

Anatomy-centric specialties such as surgery, radiology, and anatomical pathology (AP) have workforce shortages, with attrition during the training phase proposed as a contributing factor. Current understanding of the reasons behind trainee attrition is limited, and there have been calls to increase the depth and richness of research in this area. Exploring trainees' professional identity (PI) development may deepen our understanding of why trainees resign and inform development of appropriate interventions. This study seeks to address this by exploring the field of AP as a model for specialist PI development and asks what factors affirm and/or challenge AP trainees' PI development? A qualitative research approach was undertaken using narrative inquiry. Interviews with AP trainees and consultants in Australia and New Zealand were interpreted as stories through a 're-storying' process. Story data of doctors' AP training experiences were thematically analyzed using framework analysis. Three themes were identified related to anatomy-centric specialist training PI: What trainees do ('learning opportunities'), where trainees learn ('learning environment and context'), and who trainees learn from ('people influencing learning'). 'Learning opportunities' appeared to be a dominant influence on trainees' PI development. Prominent PI challenges included perceptions of incompetence and dependence during the transition to specialist training and perceptions of disconnectedness throughout training. This study extends existing research to suggest ways educators could support trainees navigating perceptions of incompetence and dependence. Our study highlights how disconnectedness may be a factor in trainee attrition-suggesting that future research into this underexplored theme is warranted.

This study investigated undergraduate and postgraduate students' experiences of blended anatomy education at Stellenbosch University during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the rapid transition from dissection and face-to-face (F2F) lectures to emergency (2020) and augmented (2021-2022) remote teaching, learning, and assessment (TLA) during the pandemic, it remains unclear how these shifts impacted student learning. By exploring students' experiences, this study aimed to identify how blended TLA strategies, learning materials, and resource accessibility can better support diverse learning needs and inform future anatomy education design and implementation. Guided by a constructivist epistemology, six online focus group discussions (FGD, n = 18 participants) were conducted with Allied Health Sciences undergraduates (Dietetics, Physiotherapy, Speech, language and hearing therapy, BSc Anatomy, and Occupational therapy) and postgraduate anatomy students. Participants were purposively recruited to ensure representation across different academic programs. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed to develop robust descriptions of students' experiences. This study highlights the interplay of practical skills, social relationships, professional impact, and curriculum design in shaping how students learn in blended anatomy environments. Practical learning was critical for bridging theory and clinical competence, with near-peer tutors playing a pivotal role in knowledge consolidation during F2F sessions. Peer relationships enhanced engagement and adaptation to challenges, while overall blended TLA offered flexibility but lacked immersion. Future blended approaches should prioritize integrated, robust, practical, and theoretical learning supported by high-quality teaching and relational support. Further research should examine the longitudinal impact of blended TLA on professional readiness, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative technologies.

The first experience of medical students in the dissecting room (DR) likely influences professional identity formation (PIF). Sparse data exist exploring how exposure to the DR and body donors without undertaking dissection influences PIF, or how culture may influence this experience. This qualitative study explored students' first, non-dissection DR experience to determine how this contributes to PIF, including the impact of culture through a Pasifika-student lens. It also explored student perspectives on what learning opportunities are unique to this experience. Medical students with no prior DR experience were recruited and then interviewed after initial engagement with the DR and body donors. Questions included participant experiences, cultural perspectives, and how the DR differed from other teaching experiences. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Twenty students were interviewed (mean age 22 years, 12 females; 8 Pasifika) resulting in 520 min of audio recording (mean 26 min). Four primary themes were identified: professional identity formation, educational elements, death and spirituality, and cultural perspectives. Three subthemes including student experiences, behaviors, and environment were developed within each theme. Findings indicate development of PIF likely occurs from a single engagement with body donors without undertaking dissection, including recognition of professional role. Culture can play an important role for students, with several Pasifika students viewing the DR as a "cultural purgatory". Unique learning experiences are identified, such as cultural awareness around behaviors with the dead. The experience is an educational "threshold concept" where students likely undergo substantial developments in PIF, and educational initiatives to support students are outlined.

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) refers to educators' understanding of subject matter integrated with teaching approaches that ensure teaching effectively supports learners' needs. Anatomy demonstrators are temporary or sessional early career educators responsible for facilitating the full spectrum of anatomical learning, yet their understanding and application of PCK are poorly understood. Given the educational value of PCK, this study sought to explore demonstrators' understanding of PCK and identify factors influencing their PCK development. The 11 study participants were current and former anatomy demonstrators at an Australian medical school. Data were collected through seven semi-structured group and individual interviews and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis using PCK components as the conceptual framework. Three themes were developed: (1) PCK Familiarity, (2) PCK in practice, and (3) Factors influencing PCK development. While demonstrators had limited explicit familiarity with the PCK concept, multiple PCK elements were implicit within descriptions of their educational practice, such as how their knowledge of content, students and context influenced their specific approach. Factors influencing demonstrator PCK development included educational experience, peer collaboration, reflective practice, embodying feedback and development time. Despite anatomy demonstrators having limited teaching experience, this study highlights the application of several components of PCK within their teaching practices. However, there is a considerable opportunity to further develop this group's PCK and thereby the support of learners. Key implications for demonstrators' supervisors and mentors include supporting professional development opportunities such as educational fellowships, encouraging and facilitating reflective practice, and including PCK in role performance standards.

Traditional methods of research translation within the scientific and health professions community are typically quite narrow, often focusing on written textual outputs and conference presentations. Considering translation approaches for our research findings and 'who' and 'what' we are trying to influence is worthy of alternative approaches perhaps. We share an example of bringing research findings to life via a verbatim theater. Verbatim theater uses the exact words provided in interviews and is directly informed and constructed from people's lived experience and narratives. This article draws from the first author's doctoral study exploring professionalism and sociocultural factors in dietetic education. This included a large qualitative data set following interviews with n = 100 participants. We have shared our reflexivity in decision making around approaching translating research in this creative and more embodied way, highlighting key strengths, experiences and limitations of developing a verbatim theater and included an excerpt of the theater and the script. We have provided practical recommendations for qualitative researchers who are interested in considering more innovative arts-based approaches to research translation. We encourage researchers to be more creative in considering more embodied ways of research translation.

Qualitative research is increasingly engaged in anatomical sciences education research. However, many in the discipline are not formally trained in qualitative methodology and-like other research methods-qualitative methods are continually developed and enhanced. Indeed, qualitative approaches appear to be entering a new era of acceptability and rigor. As such, those researching, reviewing, and practicing in the anatomical sciences require a strong basis of understanding qualitative methodologies to be able to accurately execute, appraise, and apply qualitative work. This article aims to review core tenets of qualitative research, through the lens of anatomical sciences education by first focusing on: principles underpinning qualitative methods and aspects of philosophy and rigor. The article then transitions to how these principles can be used to understand phenomena through the introduction of common qualitative methodologies, with a special focus on framework analysis as an approachable and widely used method. The authors of this work have, combined, decades of qualitative research experience in the anatomy and health sciences, as well as knowledge of positivist research frameworks. The author's varied paradigmatic experiences provide an opportunity to present qualitative research in a way that is approachable to those who may come from a novice, and often positivist, perspective. The depth of experience also allows for exploration of qualitative research current and future "gray areas." Ultimately, this discursive article covers content that will be supportive to those across the spectrum of experience with qualitative research, and which is applicable to multiple papers in this special issue.

Health professions students often observe and practice alongside supervising health professionals during work-integrated learning (WIL) to develop essential capabilities. While students may encounter practices they interpret as low-value care during WIL, many hesitate to question or challenge these practices. This study aimed to (1) explore students' perceptions of low-value care and their experiences discussing it during WIL and (2) identify training priorities for education programs to support students and educators in navigating these conversations. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with health professions students who had completed at least one clinical placement and participated in online interviews. A team-based framework approach was used to identify themes from the data. Thirty-six students from 10 health professions (average age 26 years) were interviewed. Three themes were identified: (1) student conceptualizations of low-value care are multi-faceted, (2) students need safety to initiate conversations about perceived low-value care on clinical placement, and (3) students seek practical training and clear guidance to handle complex conversations during placement. This study highlights the nuanced ways students perceive low-value care, encompassing respect, compassion, and trust, in addition to clinical guidelines. It underscores the importance of pre-placement training and the need to co-design education programs involving students, educators, and healthcare consumers to improve communication skills around low-value care. These findings offer actionable insights for developing supportive teaching and learning interventions.

Ethnographers have constructed rich accounts of cultural settings since the early nineteenth century. A new approach, sensory ethnography, holds great promise for Health Professions Education scholars in its incorporation of the senses, particularly regarding anatomical teaching and learning. In this article, we describe sensory ethnography as a promising approach for anatomical sciences education research. We draw on our sensory ethnographic research on human donor learning programs to provide concrete examples of this approach in action, in all its complexity and promise. We explore how the senses can be woven into key phases of the research process and describe challenges and considerations we grappled with during our research. Finally, drawing on our research data, we offer five key ways sensory ethnography can elevate our understanding of Health Professions Education.

Narrative inquiry (NI) is a rich methodological approach centered around the analysis of stories. While NI has great value within health professions education research, it may be overwhelming for novice researchers (or those new to NI) to employ in practice. This article draws from the first author's doctoral study experiences alongside the supervisors (i.e., co-authors). By highlighting our decision-making processes, we aim to encourage researchers to consider using NI within their research contexts. This work also illustrates the value of NI within health professions education research. We discuss the main challenges we faced when using NI including the diversity of NI conceptualizations, the different definitions of a story, and the multitude of possibilities to approach data analysis. We then outline the approach we took to analyze narrative data (re-storying, narrative synthesis, and thematic analysis) and describe the process used to visually represent the data as journey maps, inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's "Cinderella" story. In doing so, we seek to demonstrate the potential for NI approaches to enrich the diversity, breadth, and depth of health professions education research and, by extension, influence educational practice.