Anatomy Education:Current State and Perspectives

Miloš Grim

Czech Anatomical Society &Institute of Anatomy

Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine

To conduct modern research while maintaining a reasonable teaching load is today´s the task for all departments of anatomy and histology. Over the past two decades, the gross and microscopic anatomy has undergone significant changes. Some of them are specific; others reflect the evolution of the basic biomedical sciences. One of the most important trends is the homogenization of basic biomedical research, with scientists in many fields using very similar or identical approaches.

Background

The composition of many anatomy departments differs from that of a generation ago. In the past, a person who taught gross anatomy was likely to do research in gross anatomy, whereas today gross anatomy teachers have to conduct research in molecular biology. Otherwise they are not competitive in the granting system. As a result, some teachers in unfunded laboratories have become pure teachers.

Many of the new members of the department have been trained in other disciplines rather than in anatomy. The consequence is that they have first to learn what they have later to teach. The gap between the area of teaching and the field of research is characteristic for gross anatomy. This trend is accompanied by an increasing disparity between what anatomy educators teach and what they do in their research.

Looking in the future we have to ask how many of our recent anatomy and histology departments can survive as separate departments. In many countries traditional basic medical science departments are disbanded or combined with other departments. In the case of gross anatomy, some departments have been split and gross anatomy teaching has been incorporated into surgery departments and the rest of the department has been reconstituted as a cell biology department.

Anatomy Histology

Embryology

No. of students 3495 2867

No. of teachers 79 49

Students/teacher 44 59

Current state of anatomy education in the Czech Republic

Pre-graduate students : teachers relation

Anatomy Histology+ Embryology

1.LF 551 + 85 + 155 607 + 75 + 202.LF 281 + 0 + 60 271 + 0 + 593.LF 257 + 0 + 229 257 + 0 + 100LFHK 221 + 54 + 53 221 + 54 + 0LFP 275 + 69 + 0 296 + 63 + 0MUNI 383 + 81 + 240 395 + 62 + 104UPOL 226 + 100 + 175 158 + 77 + 48 2194 + 389 + 912 2205 + 331 + 331

No. of students: medicine + dentistry + bachelors in academic year 2005/6

Prof. Doc. Oas. As. DrSc. CSc. Ph.D.

Ph.D.

Stud.

1.LF 7 1 5 9 22 6 6 10

2.LF 1 - 6 1 8 1 2 1

3.LF 1 - 5 - 6 - 3 2

LFHK - 1 4 4 9 - 3 3

LFP 1 1 6 1 9 1 2 2

MUNI 2 - 7 2 11 - 9 2

UPOL 1 3 8 - 12 1 7 1

13 6 41 17 79 9 32 21

Teachers of Anatomy

Prof. Doc. OAs. As. DrSc. CSc. Ph.D.

Ph.D. Stud.

1.LF 1 4 10 - 15 1 7 3

2.LF 1 1 1 - 3 1 1 2

3.LF 1 - 2 2 5 1 1 1

LFHK 2 2 3 1 8 1 6 4

LFP 1 1 5 - 7 1 1 1

MUNI 2 2 1 1 6 2 3 1

UPOL 1 - 4 - 5 1 4 1

9 10 26 4 49 8 23 13

Teachers of Histology and Embryology

Prof. Anat.

Doc. Anat.

Prof. Hist.+ Embr.

Doc. Hist.+Embr.

13 6 9 10Below the age of 65

2 4 2 6

Professors and Docents below the age of 65

Prof. of Anatomy

Doc. of Anatomy

Prof. of Hist.+ Embr.

Doc. of Histol.+Embr.

1.LF 1 1 - 12.LF - - - 13.LF - - - -LFHK - 1 1 2LFP - 1 - 1MUNI 1 - - 1UPOL - 1 1 -

2 4 2 6

Professors and Docents below the age of 65

Anat.Hist.

Embr.

DrSc.

Ph.D.

CSc.41 31

Ph.D. students

21 13

No. of DrSc.& Ph.D. & CSc. in relation to No. of Ph.D. students

Summary of our current state

The number of our pre-graduate students is growing rapidly. The number of full-time teaching faculty in our departments has dropped dramatically, and only a minority of our professors and associate professors is below the age of 65.At the same time, the number of Ph.D. students in our departments is too low.

To be more attractive for prospective new departmental members we have to perform cutting-edge science.

It should be oriented on clinically relevant topics carried out in collaboration with clinicians as well as on basic research that uses modern methods of molecular biology and genetics.

Perspective

The traditional curricular model used in the majority of medical schools in our country is lecture-based and discipline-based. The usefulness of this approach declines as scientific knowledge is expanding rapidly.Medical education is now in a phase of curricular reform with great emphasis on self-learning and problem-oriented approaches.

Current effective curricular models of educationCurrent effective curricular models of education

in basic sciencesin basic sciences☺Integration of basic sciences according to organ systems across the traditional disciplines. ☺Reduction of the large lecture forms.☺Introduction of interactive courses.☺The use of computer based learning in greater extent. ☺Integration of clinical aspects into basic sciences. ☺Elimination of excessive details with little clinical relevance. ☺Dissection must remain as the core foundation in the teaching and learning of gross anatomy.The realization of these changes in our curricula is the dominant theme in anatomy education today