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Cited by 203Anatomy and Medical TechnologyEmpathy and Medical EducationInnovations in Medical Education

Human dissection: an approach to interweaving the traditional and humanistic goals of medical education

Rizzolo, Lawrence J.·2002·The Anatomical Record
DOI 10.1002/ar.10188
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Abstract

Anatomy remains one of the core courses of medical school, but the time devoted to it is decreasing. To accommodate the explosion of medical knowledge, educators search to streamline the curriculum. Because it is time-consuming, dissection comes under increased scrutiny. Even in the face of these pressures to reduce course hours, I would like to propose broadening, not reducing, the responsibilities of the anatomy instructor. Anatomy instructors can play a crucial role in helping medical schools meet the critical need to cultivate humanistic values, especially in the arena of end-of-life care. Anatomy can--and should--play an important role in a curriculum-wide effort to address this issue. Just as dissection remains an essential technique to teach three-dimensional concepts, the cadaver dissection lab is an ideal place to introduce concepts of humanistic care. The lab evokes the students' memories, speculations, and fears about serious illness in themselves, their families, and loved ones. Some programs address these reactions with supplemental activities, such as journaling, essay writing, and small group discussion. Valuable as these activities may be, anatomy instructors can achieve more by recognizing their role as a mentor, who can integrate humanistic values into traditional course objectives in a way that adds little time to the curriculum. The attitude of the instructor in ministering to the students' needs as they undertake the emotionally charged task of dissection can provide a model for how the students will respond, in turn, to the hopes and fears of their patients-and to their own reactions to dying. This approach will allow students to implement and practice humanistic values immediately, laying a foundation for their clinical training.

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  • The dissection room and interaction with human donors provide unique contributions to the development of healthcare professionals, including nontechnical, discipline-independent skills (empathy, communication, teamwork, humanistic values) and professional identity formation, that are best learned through in-person experiences.

    “There are contributions to the development of healthcare professionals that are best learned by in-person experiences, allowing individuals to develop and mature their professional identity.These include the acquisition of many nontechnical, discipline-independent skills such as empathy, communication, teamwork, humanistic values, and professional identity formation (Rizzolo, 2002;Escobar-Poni & P”

    From Ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence in anatomy education: Should <scp>AI</scp> human body simulations replace donors in the dissection room? (2024) · cites this paper as Rizzolo, 2002

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Authors
Rizzolo, L. J.
Affiliations
Yale University (US)
Corresponding author
Rizzolo, Lawrence J.
ORCID
Rizzolo, Lawrence J.
Venue
The Anatomical Record
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2002-12-15
Volume
269
Issue
6
Pages
242-248
ISSN
  • 0003-276X (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-0185
DOI
10.1002/ar.10188
OpenAlex
W2084875444
Cited by
203
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 15
FWCI
3.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • The Anatomical Record (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Anatomy and Medical Technology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Empathy and Medical Education
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
Keywords
human dissection, anatomy education, humanistic values, end-of-life care, mentoring, curriculum reduction, medical students, humanism in medicine
MeSH terms
Anatomy, Attitude to Death, Cadaver, Curriculum, Dissection, Education, Medical, Undergraduate, Forecasting, Humans, Humanism, Students, Medical, United States

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