Courtney E. Thiele; Ashley K. Fernandes; Melissa M. Quinn & Joy Y. Balta

Learning anatomy is critical for all health science students and working with body donors is considered as a superior learning tool. For many students this would be their first experience working with a deceased human body. In this study we assessed the emotional, intellectual and spiritual preparation that first year medical students felt in anticipation for their first experience in the anatomy laboratory. We hypothesized that incorporating a pre-work education module to help students prepare for the experience, as well as a post-experience reflective exercise would help students in processing their first anatomy laboratory experience. The findings of this study demonstrated that there is a statistically significant difference noted following the pre-module intervention. As part of the post-reflection, students responded to open ended questions. Their responses to these questions highlighted the importance of reflective, mindful practice for both their first anatomy laboratory experience and their future professional lives. While there are many formative experiences in medical school, this early encounter with body donors offers unique challenges and opportunities for professional identity formation. Educational interventions to help prepare for and process this experience demonstrated a positive impact on students. Future studies will focus on the impact of these activities on student learning by reducing cognitive load.

THIELE, C. E.; FERNANDES, A. K.; QUINN, M. M. & BALTA, J. Y. Preparedness, challenges and processing of the anatomy laboratory experience by first year medical students. Int. J. Morphol., 44(1):1-8, 2026.