Prosection and Dissection Laboratory Sessions: Design and Implement to Enhance Learning

Cadavers provide a rich, unique environment to learn anatomy. Cadaveric resources are typically used in either dissection- or prosection-based paradigms or in varying combinations of these. Each mode allows students to examine the three-dimensional organization of the body. When selecting between dissection and prosection, the advantages and challenges of each mode need to be considered, against pragmatic factors such as time, cost and resources. In implementing either or a combination of these modes, the goal is to design laboratory activities that are engaging, contextual and clinically relevant. A creative design not only embeds graduate attributes like teamwork, critical thinking, communication skills and links with the humanities but also affords students with multidimensional learning opportunities such as correlations with living and procedural anatomy. Designing and implementing laboratory activities should be based on a model of continuous improvement that involves review and refinement based on multiple sources of feedback and evaluation.