Modern competency-based teaching of human sexual development

Embryology is an integral part of anatomy and a key subject in basic medical education. The development of the sexual tract, which is closely associated with the formation of the urinary tract and the organs of continence, is particularly complex and relevant for many medical disciplines. Medical students are expected to understand the developmental steps from the homologous anlagen to the sexually mature individual. Modern teaching includes the understanding that sexual development may display a remarkable degree of diversity. This, however, remains to be fully integrated into modern embryology education. To support this, in the present discursive article, we suggest competencies that are based on general objectives within the PROFILES framework (which has been established for Swiss medical curricula), and that we consider relevant for understanding homologies and sex-specific differentiation steps. The article furthermore showcases modern aspects, particularly the current clinical classification and terminology of variants/differences of sexual development, which should be integrated into modern medical embryology education of the urogenital tract. Finally, some practical recommendations are provided for medical educators on how to incorporate these aspects in their embryology teaching. By focusing on developmental homologies, differentiation steps, and clinical relevance, anatomy teaching can both meet the expectations of the modern curriculum and foster a more inclusive, accurate understanding of human sexual development.