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Health professional students often struggle with anatomy coursework despite undergraduate coursework in anatomy. Educators must identify early on whether students may struggle in order to target remediation. The purpose of the study was to elucidate whether an assessment tool administered before the start of a professional anatomy course correlated with allied health students' course performance. Students over four years were given a quiz covering anatomy knowledge they were expected to know upon matriculation to their professional program. A supplemental data form was administered at the course's conclusion to identify prior anatomy experience and topics in which students felt deficient. Pre-quiz scores significantly correlated with examination performance throughout the course. Students reported feeling most deficient in neurobiology (54.9%) and anatomy terminology (39.1%). Videos were created to target these deficient knowledge areas; students who watched the videos did better in course assessments than those who did not. Most respondents (98.0%) recommended students take an undergraduate anatomy course prior to starting a health professional program. These results indicate that a quiz assessing anatomy knowledge among matriculating students may identify students with the potential to struggle in a professional anatomy course early on. Responses outlined areas in which students felt deficient, which allows educators to target topics early with intervention tools such as the review videos in this study. Finally, most respondents strongly recommended undergraduate coursework in anatomy prior to starting a professional health program, which outlines students' recognition that a solid foundation in anatomical knowledge is important to success in professional programs.

Metacognition, the ability to self-regulate one's learning and performance, has been shown to improve student outcomes. Anatomy is recognized as one of the toughest courses in allied health curricula, and students could benefit from metacognitive activities. The purpose of this study was to explore the changes in metacognition of allied health students in an anatomy course and identify which groups need support with this skill. First-year physician assistant (MPAS), physical therapy (DPT), and occupational therapy (OTD) students (n = 129) were invited to participate. At the beginning and end of the course, students completed a questionnaire including the metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI) that assesses metacognition. Students were also asked to reflect on their examination performances using a modified Likert scale and participated in reflective discussion boards to encourage development of metacognitive skills, which were thematically analyzed. Paired metacognition scores had increased significantly by the end of the course. However, middle-performers anticipated high grades and were less satisfied with their grade, indicating a disconnect in their metacognition compared to high- and low-performers. Students' receptiveness to modifying study strategies to improve performance declined throughout the course; by mid-way through, they relied more on existing strategies. Increasing time constraints were frequently cited as a major factor when considering study strategies and modification of such strategies. To maximize the effectiveness of metacognitive activities, they should be positioned early in the course when students are most receptive. In addition, middle performers may benefit from additional support to improve metacognition.

Despite human (HUM) and veterinary (VET) medical institutions sharing the goal of educating future clinicians, there is little collaboration between them regarding curricular and pedagogical practices during the preclinical/basic science training years. This may be, at least in part, due to a lack of understanding of each type of curriculum. This study presents data about curricula, student populations, pedagogical methodologies applied, and anatomy educators' training at both HUM and VET institutions. Preclinical curricula, admissions criteria, and student demographics were analyzed for 21 institutions in the United States having both HUM and VET schools. This dataset was augmented by a questionnaire sent to anatomists internationally, detailing anatomy curricula, pedagogies applied, and anatomy educators' training. Many curricular similarities between both training programs were identified, including anatomy education experiences. However, VET programs were found to include more preclinical coursework than HUM programs. Students who matriculate to VET or HUM schools have similar academic records, including prerequisite coursework and grade point average. Median HUM class size was significantly larger, and the percentage of women enrolled in VET institutions was significantly higher. Training of anatomy educators was identical with one exception: VET educators are far more likely to hold a clinical degree. This study elucidates the substantial similarities between VET and HUM programs, particularly in anatomy education, underscoring the potential for collaboration between both types of programs in areas such as interprofessional education, bioethics, zoonotic disease management, and postgraduate training.

Veterinary anatomy is often a source of trepidation for many students. Currently professional veterinary programs, similar to medical curricula, within the United States have no admission requirements for anatomy as a prerequisite course. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of a week-long precourse in veterinary anatomy on both objective student performance and subjective student perceptions of the precourse educational methods. Incoming first year veterinary students in the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine professional curriculum were asked to participate in a free precourse before the start of the semester, covering the musculoskeletal structures of the canine thoracic limb. Students learned the material either via dissection only, instructor-led demonstrations only, or a combination of both techniques. Outcome measures included student performance on examinations throughout the first anatomy course of the professional curriculum as compared with those who did not participate in the precourse. This study found that those who participated in the precourse did significantly better on examinations within the professional anatomy course compared with those who did not participate. Notably, this significant improvement was also identified on the examination where both groups were exposed to the material for the first time together, indicating that exposure to a small portion of veterinary anatomy can impact learning of anatomical structures beyond the immediate scope of the material previously learned. Subjective data evaluation indicated that the precourse was well received and students preferred guided learning via demonstrations in addition to dissection as opposed to either method alone. Anat Sci Educ 9: 344-356. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Veterinary anatomy is often a source of trepidation for many students. Currently professional veterinary programs, similar to medical curricula, within the United States have no admission requirements for anatomy as a prerequisite course. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of a week-long precourse in veterinary anatomy on both objective student performance and subjective student perceptions of the precourse educational methods. Incoming first year veterinary students in the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine professional curriculum were asked to participate in a free precourse before the start of the semester, covering the musculoskeletal structures of the canine thoracic limb. Students learned the material either via dissection only, instructor-led demonstrations only, or a combination of both techniques. Outcome measures included student performance on examinations throughout the first anatomy course of the professional curriculum as compared with those who did not participate in the precourse. This study found that those who participated in the precourse did significantly better on examinations within the professional anatomy course compared with those who did not participate. Notably, this significant improvement was also identified on the examination where both groups were exposed to the material for the first time together, indicating that exposure to a small portion of veterinary anatomy can impact learning of anatomical structures beyond the immediate scope of the material previously learned. Subjective data evaluation indicated that the precourse was well received and students preferred guided learning via demonstrations in addition to dissection as opposed to either method alone. Anat Sci Educ 9: 344-356. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.