Medical students learning anatomy with plastinated models in a modern surgical training center.

Ace Your Anatomy: How Senior Medical Students Can Master Surgical Skills with Trainee-Led Courses

Soraya Malik in Mind & Education August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Unlock surgical excellence with clinical anatomy courses designed by surgical trainees. Enhance your medical education and improve patient outcomes."

Anatomy has always been the foundation of medical education, serving as the cornerstone for aspiring healthcare professionals. However, the way anatomy is taught is changing, particularly in the UK. These shifts have stirred debate, especially concerning the role of traditional dissection in learning three-dimensional anatomy. With national guidelines and standardized evaluations lacking, the quality of anatomy education varies across medical schools.

These changes stem from an ever-widening modern curriculum and evolving perceptions about the importance of basic sciences. Modern anatomy education now incorporates a range of delivery methods, from dissection and prosection to plastination, surface anatomy, radiology, and virtual simulations. Some institutions have even removed dissection and prosection entirely.

Despite these controversies, anatomy remains a crucial component of medical training. Surgical training demands detailed anatomical knowledge, but achieving this is challenging given the inconsistencies in undergraduate education. Some experts advocate for increasing the anatomy component in membership examinations to address the perceived knowledge gap among new surgeons.

The Surgical Trainee-Led Clinical Anatomy Course

Medical students learning anatomy with plastinated models in a modern surgical training center.

To address these challenges, a clinical anatomy course was designed with three primary goals: to offer a clinically oriented, small-group anatomy experience for senior medical students; to provide surgical trainees with an opportunity to teach anatomy; and to explore various methods of anatomy education delivery. This initiative sought to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, ensuring that medical students are well-prepared for the demands of surgical practice. The course was structured to align with final-year medical students' learning needs.

The course was developed by junior doctors, including core surgical trainees and specialty trainees, to cover a broad range of anatomical subjects suitable for final-year medical students. McHanwell et al.'s core anatomy syllabus and McMinn's Clinical Atlas of Human Anatomy were used as frameworks. The curriculum was designed as an eight-week program that included a variety of anatomical topics, ensuring that students received a well-rounded education. The weekly topics ranged from abdominal anatomy to neuroanatomy, integrating clinical scenarios to enhance relevance.

The course incorporated several effective teaching strategies:

Small group sessions to encourage active participation.
Plastinated prosections for hands-on learning.
Clinical examination and radiology stations for practical application.
Junior doctor-led sessions to provide a comfortable and interactive environment.

The learning environment was carefully designed to maximize student engagement. Each 1.5-hour tutorial included four stations: three based on plastinated prosections and one lecture-based station in the seminar room, focusing on clinical examination, surface anatomy, and radiology. A total of 16 students were divided into groups, rotating through the stations each week. Junior doctors led these sessions, emphasizing clinical scenarios and procedures faced by surgical trainees. This approach ensured that students not only learned anatomical structures but also understood their clinical relevance.

A Model for Future Medical Education

This clinical anatomy course serves as a valuable model for medical education. By linking clinical training with basic sciences, it prepares students for the practical aspects of surgery. The program's success hinges on several critical components: dedicated facilities, strong senior support, and enthusiastic course leaders. This initiative has proven beneficial for both surgical trainees and senior medical students, providing a foundation for future success in the medical field.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1308/147363512x13311314198373, Alternate LINK

Title: Surgical Trainee-Led Clinical Anatomy Course For Senior Medicalstudents

Subject: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Journal: The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

Publisher: Royal College of Surgeons of England

Authors: H Dixon, T Nieto, T Lo, Ph Abrahams

Published: 2013-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

Why is a clinical anatomy course designed and led by surgical trainees beneficial for senior medical students?

The surgical trainee-led clinical anatomy course addresses the inconsistencies in undergraduate anatomy education by offering a clinically oriented, small-group anatomy experience for senior medical students. It aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, preparing students for surgical practice. This is achieved through integration of clinical scenarios and focusing on the practical aspects of surgery, which traditional methods might not fully cover. This addresses the gaps in standardized evaluations in anatomy education across medical schools.

What is the curriculum and structure of the surgical trainee-led clinical anatomy course, and what resources does it utilize?

The curriculum for this clinical anatomy course is structured as an eight-week program covering a range of anatomical topics, from abdominal anatomy to neuroanatomy. It uses McHanwell et al.'s core anatomy syllabus and McMinn's Clinical Atlas of Human Anatomy as frameworks. Weekly topics integrate clinical scenarios to enhance relevance, and teaching strategies include small group sessions, plastinated prosections, clinical examination, and radiology stations. Junior doctor-led sessions foster an interactive environment for final year medical students. Topics like embryology and histology are not specified, indicating a focus on gross anatomy and clinical application.

How does the surgical trainee-led clinical anatomy course differ from traditional anatomy teaching methods, and how does it enhance the learning experience?

The surgical trainee-led clinical anatomy course enhances the learning experience for senior medical students through several methods. It uses small group sessions to encourage active participation, plastinated prosections for hands-on learning, and clinical examination and radiology stations for practical application. Additionally, junior doctor-led sessions provide a comfortable and interactive environment, emphasizing clinical scenarios and procedures faced by surgical trainees. This approach ensures students understand the clinical relevance of anatomical structures, unlike traditional lectures that may lack practical context. The course also fosters a near-peer teaching environment where students feel comfortable asking questions.

What are the critical components needed to ensure the success and sustainability of the clinical anatomy course as a model for future medical education?

The success of the clinical anatomy course as a model for future medical education hinges on several critical components: dedicated facilities, strong senior support, and enthusiastic course leaders. These elements are essential for providing an optimal learning environment and ensuring the program's sustainability. Without dedicated facilities, the practical components like prosections and clinical stations would be difficult to implement. Strong senior support ensures the course has the resources and credibility needed to thrive. Enthusiastic course leaders are vital for maintaining student engagement and driving the program forward. These components facilitate linking clinical training with basic sciences.

How does the trainee-led clinical anatomy course complement traditional anatomy education, and what advantages does it offer over solely relying on dissection?

Traditional anatomy education often relies heavily on methods like dissection, which may not always align with the evolving needs of modern medical curricula. The surgical trainee-led clinical anatomy course complements traditional methods by incorporating a range of delivery methods such as plastination, surface anatomy, radiology, and virtual simulations. This hybrid approach ensures students receive a well-rounded education that combines theoretical knowledge with practical application. Traditional dissection focuses on detailed anatomical structures while surgical trainee-led courses highlight the clinical relevance and application of anatomy.