Creative Solutions for a Condensed Anatomy Course

Abstract

There are many variations of anatomy courses taught in accredited physician assistant (PA) programs in the United States. Course directors and program leadership must choose how to effectively deliver content within their program constraints. Our anatomy course has faced challenges related to instructional time for didactic and laboratory sessions, course length, curricular placement and alignment, assessments, and faculty availability. These challenges are not specific to anatomy courses in PA curricula but exist in anatomy courses in various health care programs. In this article, we present major solutions to challenges in didactic delivery, laboratory sessions, course content, and assessments over a 5-year period. Through modifications and problem-solving, we identified the following 4 lessons learned during this process: course alignment to clinical relevance, intentional content delivery for different pedagogical approaches, structured laboratory sessions with appropriate staffing, and an appropriate weighting for assessments. These lessons and solutions will be useful to other anatomy and disciplines-based course directors facing similar challenges.