A novel hands-on surgical anatomy course: A blueprint and cost analysis
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The decline in surgical subspecialists raises concerns for meeting the healthcare needs of an aging population. We introduced a hands-on surgical anatomy course for third-year medical students to inspire them towards surgical careers. This course positively influenced students' decisions to pursue surgical specialties. We provide a detailed blueprint of the resources and costs required to establish such a program. METHODS: The curriculum incurred initiation and maintenance costs. These were divided into capital equipment, surgical equipment, anatomical specimens, and consumables. RESULTS: We offer a 2-week course to learn and practice surgeries from a variety of subspecialties on fresh cadavers. The cost to run the program per student was $9563.00 in a cohort of 10 students. CONCLUSION: The course positively impacts recruitment to surgical specialties and skill enhancement. This blueprint aims to encourage and assist other medical schools to address the shortage of surgical subspecialists by implementing similar courses.
Source: The American Journal of Surgery
Authors: Omar Leyva, Ariel DeGuzman, Emmanuel Brito, Andrew Iraniha
Institutions: University of California, Riverside, University of Arizona
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,830
OpenAlex ID: W4409694372