Teaching Professionalism to Medical Students Using Dissection-Based Anatomy Education: a Practical Guide

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professionalism in Healthcare

Background:

• Professionalism is a vital healthcare competency essential for high-quality patient care.
• Defining, teaching, and assessing professionalism presents significant challenges in medical education.
• Anatomy education is an underutilized yet promising tool for cultivating professionalism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide evidence-based strategies for integrating professionalism into anatomy courses.
• To offer practical guidance for educators seeking to enhance professionalism training.
• To highlight the role of dissection-based anatomy in developing professional behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on professionalism in medical education.
• Identification of practical, evidence-based methods for teaching professionalism.
• Focus on application within a dissection-based anatomy curriculum for undergraduate medical students.

Main Results:

• Anatomy courses offer unique opportunities to teach and assess professionalism.
• Specific pedagogical approaches can effectively embed professionalism into anatomy practicals.
• Integration enhances the development of essential professional attributes in future physicians.

Conclusions:

• Anatomy education, particularly dissection-based, is a valuable yet underused resource for teaching professionalism.
• Implementing practical, evidence-based strategies can successfully incorporate professionalism into medical curricula.
• This guide equips educators with tools to foster professionalism in undergraduate medical students through anatomy.