Anatomy education and clinical practice: students’ views

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed at evaluating students' perspectives on the relevance of anatomy education to clinical practice throughout their studies at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was designed as a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based investigation and took place at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje at the University of "Ss Cyril and Methodius", R. North Macedonia. The questionnaire form included demographics, five-point Likert items, and open-ended questions. Questionnaire data was collected from volunteer student participants, currently and not currently involved in anatomy education, consisting of 134 first-year and 87 fourth- and fifth-year students during March and April 2024. RESULTS: Junior students agreed that their anatomy education helped them achieve some important goals for clinical practice, such as adopting and applying medical terminology and the ability to visualise a three-dimensional human body map. Senior students were less convinced that the structures and concepts acquired during anatomy education were relevant to clinical practice, or that they helped them acquire clinical knowledge and skills effectively, or to understand the principles of evidence-based medicine. Junior students and their senior colleagues disagreed as to whether anatomy education succeeded in developing their self-confidence, teamwork, and communication skills. CONCLUSIONS: Both groups of students had similar preferences and suggestions for redesigning anatomy courses to focus on essential elements that are functionally and clinically relevant. This can be achieved through traditional and modern teaching methods, small group work, and the establishment of learning outcomes within clinically relevant contexts.