An intensive anatomy by whole‐body dissection elective: A longitudinal study

Whole body dissection, once a long‐held method of learning and teaching in anatomy medical education, has largely been replaced by cost and time‐reduced methods of teaching. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of student knowledge acquisition and retention, following six annual intensive eight‐week elective anatomy by whole body dissection (AWBD) courses implemented between 2010 and 2015, utilizing a modified team‐based learning (TBL) pedagogy. A total of 160 students completed the intensive full‐time courses. During each course, students, in groups of five or six, completed the dissection of a whole cadaver. Students were assessed by a standardized practical test involving the accurate identification of 20 different tagged anatomical structures. All students (n = 160) completed pre‐course and end‐course individual assessments. Seventy students were assessed again 1 month after the course ended. A further 71 students were assessed 7 months later. A marked increase in topographical relational anatomical knowledge was demonstrated. The median pre‐course score was 9/20 (interquartile range 5). The median end‐course score was 19/20 (IQR 2), a statistically significant increase (p