Introduction

The Cadaver

Medical students are afforded the advantage and the privilege of learning about the structure of the human body through careful dissection and examination of its organs and organ systems. The cadaver is incomparably your best teacher of Human Anatomy. The Upstate Medical University has a very active Anatomical Gift Program to which cadavers are donated for the purpose of educating future physicians. The willingness of our donors to entrust themselves to our care implies that faculty, staff and students treat and care for the cadaver properly. Strict professional decorum must be maintained in the Gross Anatomy Laboratory at all times. Any display of disrespect for the cadaver is inexcusable and will not be tolerated. This includes the taking of photographs of the cadaver or parts of the cadaver. Such behavior will be treated as a violation of the Standards of Medical Student Professional Behavior, and will result in a Fail Grade.

The act of donation implies permission to use a cadaver for dissection. However, it may be helpful and/or necessary for the entering student to recognize and acknowledge his or her normal feelings of discomfort and anxiety in the presence of death. Your faculty has experienced similar feelings during their own education and teaching experiences. Coping with these emotions is an integral part of your professional development. We strongly encourage you to discuss with the faculty any concerns you may have regarding any aspect of this course, including dissection, on a confidential basis.

Course Goals

The educational goals of the Human Anatomy course are to provide the students with an opportunity to:

1. identify and understand the anatomical organization of the human body and to appreciate the interrelationship of organs and organ systems.
2. learn how the major organ systems of the human body develop.
3. correlate the relationship between organ structure and function.
4. study the range of structural variation from normal to pathologic and the role development plays in this process.
5. develop an understanding of the principals of radiologic imaging and the ability to recognize anatomical structures in a variety of common imaging modalities.
6. develop the facility to utilize anatomical information as a basis for clinical reasoning and clinical problem solving.

The Human Anatomy course is designed to facilitate the development of active life long skills such as:

1. proficiency dissecting and careful observational skills.
2. the ability to interact, work effectively and responsibly as a member of a team.
3. effective small group teaching skills.
4. the appreciation of the role that the cadaver plays in medical education as well as a respect for the art and science of medicine.
5. the application of anatomical and imaging data to solve clinical problems.

Organization of the Course

Laboratory Regulations

All cadavers used in this course are willed to Upstate Medical University through our Anatomical Gift Program. These individuals have donated their bodies so that you, future physicians, can have the opportunity to learn through dissection of a human cadaver. Upon receipt, each cadaver is tested for HIV and embalmed to ensure proper preservation. Only those cadavers found to be HIV negative are used. To ensure maximum student safety, the following universal precautions are to be observed in the laboratory:

• No food nor drink is allowed in the gross anatomy laboratory.
• Taking pictures of cadavers or parts of cadavers is strictly prohibited. Therefore, no cell phones, cameras, or any type of image capturing device is permitted in the gross anatomy laboratory.
• All students must wear scrubs or other suitable clothing when working in the dissecting laboratory. If you wear something other than scrubs, a laboratory coat should also be worn. Clothing worn in the laboratory should not be worn outside the laboratory.
• You must wear long pants, a shirt, socks and shoes. No shorts or sandals are allowed.
• Dissecting gloves must be worn at all times. At no time should any student touch a cadaver without wearing suitable gloves.
• Eye protection must be worn by anyone using any kind of saw.
• Dull or broken scalpel blades must be deposited in the receptacles labeled "SHARPS".
• Please report any cuts or injuries immediately to the course coordinator or Mr. Jaeger or a faculty member.
• There are First Aid Kits and Eyewashes in each of the sections of the laboratory.

In addition, we ask that you adhere to the following procedures to keep the laboratory as clean and safe to work in as possible

• The covers of the cadaver tables are heavy. Please utilize both hands when opening and closing these covers.
• Place all skin, hair, removed organs, or other materials in the plastic bag that is placed by Mr. Jaeger at each table. Our staff will empty this bag periodically and store its contents until the cadaver is ready for cremation. All materials will be cremated with the cadaver. Please remove all dissected material that may have fallen to the floor and place this material in your table's plastic bag. Contact Mr. Jaeger or one of our staff if your plastic waste bag is full.
• Wipe up any fluid that may spill on the floor with paper towels. Fluid can make the floor slippery so please make sure the floor around your cadaver is clean and dry.
• Wrap your cadaver and moisten it with the wetting fluid at the end of each dissection period.
• Students are encouraged to study from cadavers at other tables. Please make sure to wrap and moisten the cadaver when you are done and secure the table covers.
• Visiting the laboratory by anyone who is not registered in your class is discouraged. No person under the age of 21 will be allowed in the laboratory. Please contact one of the faculty or Mr. Jaeger for permission if you want to bring a family member into the laboratory.
  

Laboratory Access

The laboratory has a card swipe access security system. While the laboratory will be open during normal class hours, access to the laboratory during non-class hours requires use of your SUNY Upstate Medical University ID card. Only those students currently enrolled in the Human Anatomy course will be programmed into the system. The procedure will be reviewed on the first day of class. If you have any problems with access to the laboratory, report them to Mr. Jaeger (4-8582).

Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving

An important goal of this course is to enable the student to learn how to engage in clinical reasoning and clinical problem solving utilizing anatomical information. We have developed two activities to facilitate these processes:

1. Case Studies:

Actual case studies are posted on our Blackboard site. These case studies are derived, with permission, from patients in University Hospital or one of our affiliates, from records of people who have donated to our Anatomical Gift Program, or from students or individuals who have given us permission to use their medical history for case studies. These cases are chosen because they pose a clinical problem that has an anatomical basis. In addition, these cases also combine physical diagnosis and imaging data. We suggest that student should review each case prior to class discussion and be able to complete the activities presented in each case. Questions based upon cases and the activities contained therein will asked on the written portion of each examination.

2. Topographical and Surface Anatomy:

Physical diagnosis is the clinical derivative of topographical anatomy. We have developed a number of activities to help you understand the anatomical basis of physical diagnosis. Surface anatomy will be included in a number of the lectures presented. PowerPoint presentations concerning the topographical anatomy of the thorax, abdomen, neck, and limbs are posted on our Blackboard site. The student will be assigned to a group with an MS IV student tutor/ facilitator. You will be asked to demonstrate the main topographical anatomical features necessary to conduct a proper physical examination on each other and on an anatomical model. Questions addressing topographical anatomy will be asked on written and practical examinations.


Evaluation Procedures

Grades used to evaluate student learning in Human Anatomy are consistent with the Upstate Medical University's grading policies and system. Grades are dependent upon student performance on examinations.

Examinations

There will be a total of 4 examinations given, one for each of the four units of the course. The first examination will be given after completion of the Thorax portion of the course. The first examination will be a practical exam with second order questions. There will be no written questions as part of this exam and only this exam.

• The Thorax Examinaton will include only a practical component, consisting of identification items and second order questions.
• The Abdomen and Pelvis Examination will contain both written and practical components. The practical will contain identification items including second order questions, derived primarily from structures in the abdomen and pelvis. The written exam will include MCQ based upon the information presented in the lectures, case studies, images and topographical anatomy covering the thorax, abdomen and pelvis.
• The Limbs and Neck Examination will contain a practical and a written component. The practical will contain identification items including second order questions. The written exam will include MCQ based upon the information presented in the lectures, case studies, images and topographical anatomy covering the neck and limbs.
• The Cranial Cavity and Cranial Nerves Examination will contain a practical and a written component. The practical will contain identification items including second order questions. The written exam will include MCQ based upon the information presented in the lectures, case studies, images, and topographical anatomy covering the cranial cavity and cranial nerves.

Exam Protocol

We follow the exam protocol set forth by the National Board of Medical Examiners. You may only bring #2 pencils and a drink and/or snack (if necessary) to the examination.

• Book bags are NOT allowed in the examination room. Please leave them in your locker. If you do mistakenly bring a book bag to the examination room, you may be asked to return it to your locker.
• No calculators, programmable watches, pagers, notebooks/computers or recording devices are allowed.
• Cell phones may NOT be on your person during the examination. Leave them in your locker.
• You are NOT allowed to use any written notes.
• Hats MAY NOT be worn during the exam. If you wear a head covering for religious purposes, this will be allowed.
• Hooded sweatshirts may NOT be worn during the examination.
• We expect that you will not use the bathroom during the examination. Please do so before the exam starts.
• Bring a few #2 sharpened pencils to the exam.
• You may bring something to drink and/or eat.
• When you complete the examination, please refrain from stopping and talking in the 8th floor vestibule.

Grading Format

Pass - A grade of Pass will be guaranteed if the student achieves a minimum of 70%.

Honors - To be eligible for an Honors grade, a student must accumulate a sufficient number of points to be in the top 10% of the class.

High Pass - To be eligible for a High Pass grade, a student must accumulate a sufficient number of points to be in the top 20% of the class.

Deficiency - A student whose final average is below 70% will fail the course.

Professional Behavior

Attendance in the College of Medicine is a privilege and not a right. So, too, is the opportunity to dissect a human body. Upon acceptance into the College of Medicine, the student enters the Profession of Medicine and has, in effect, been singularly entrusted with the future of medical care and with provision of services to mankind. The Profession of Medicine is one of honor and dignity. In our society, physicians are entrusted with the health, life and well being of humanity. Professional behavior embodies a code of conduct based upon integrity, honor and dignity that govern a student's behavior. Explicit and implied components of the Student Code of Conduct are explained in the Student Handbook under "Student Code of Conduct and Judicial Policies". Students are expected to abide by this Code while matriculated in this College. Behavior that violates this Code will not be condoned. Examples of inappropriate conduct include, but are not limited to, academic dishonesty, disruptive behavior in class, and improper, insensitive approaches to classmates, faculty, staff or other health professionals, and disrespectful treatment of cadavers. Such behavior will result in referral to the judicial process and could also result in failure of the Human Anatomy course.

Excused Absences

The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology follows the Holiday Policy recently adopted by the Educational Policies Committee. This policy is stated in its entirety in the Student Handbook. Students should inform the course coordinator if he / she is planning to miss class due to the observance of a religious holiday. If this occurs on the day of an examination or other required work, an equivalent but not necessarily the exact same experience will be offered to the student. No student will be penalized for religious observation. If you miss an exam or a required activity due to illness and/or personal reasons, you should inform the Course Coordinator as soon as possible. You should also be prepared to present proper documentation in order to be eligible to make up the work.

Tutorials

Faculty will conduct formal tutorials for those students whose performance is below the passing level. These tutorials are open only to those students having difficulty with this course. They involve active participation on the part of the student and are conducted in a small group format. The course coordinators will inform students concerning participation in tutorial sessions and these students are strongly encouraged to participate.

All students are encouraged to contact any faculty member if they feel they need extra help. Faculty members are very willing to work with students. Faculty office numbers, telephone numbers, and email addresses are included in this publication.

Gross Anatomy Online Resources

Blackboard will serve as your gateway to the online resources for Human Anatomy. Students should check Blackboard and their local email on a regular basis. Announcements (such as schedule changes, exam information, etc.) will be posted there, and links to lecture PowerPoint presentations will be provided. Also on Blackboard, you will find a link to the Gross Anatomy website: http://www.upstate.edu/cdb/grossanat
This site may also be reached from the Upstate Medical University HomePage. The Human Anatomy website is maintained to provide students with access to information regarding the structure and schedule for the course, as well as support the learning of the discipline. You will find cross-sectional anatomy and radiological images for each section of the course. Case Studies have been put on the website to help you learn to apply your knowledge of Human Anatomy. Pathological findings from the dissection lab are posted. Thanks to the generosity of the University of Chicago, we also have dissection videos that may assist you in preparing for or reviewing dissection assignments. At the request of the Univ. of Chicago, students will be able to access these videos ONLY from computers connected to the SUNY Upstate Medical University backbone.

Glossary of Commonly Used Anatomical Terms