The weak relationship between anatomy competence and clinical skills in junior medical students.

In modern curricula, the early integration of anatomy and clinical skills education at undergraduate level is seen as important. However, the direct relationship between medical students' competence in anatomy, and their clinical proficiency during early undergraduate years, has scarcely been studied. In this study, the marks for anatomy and clinical skills of three consecutive cohorts of medical students (n = 538 in total) during their first two years were correlated.

The anatomy competence score: a new marker for anatomical ability.

The assessment of students' ability in gross anatomy is a complex process as it involves the measurement of multiple facets. In this work, the authors developed and introduced the Anatomy Competence Score (ACS), which incorporates the three domains of anatomy teaching and assessment namely: theoretical knowledge, practical 3D application of the knowledge, and clinical or bedside application of knowledge on patients. Equal contributions from these tripartite domains were used to synthesize the ACS.

Assessment drives learning: an unavoidable truth?

The debate around which factors drive medical students' learning is ongoing and controversial. What is the influence of an assessment's weighting on the motivation of students to study the particular subject? One medical school in London is in a unique position to investigate this question. At our institution, the weighting of Anatomy within the overall scheme of assessment has changed twice in recent years, a trend of increased weighting.

Venepuncture technique training vs practice: a survey of foundation year 1 doctors.

This survey investigated potential disparity between foundation year 1 doctors' formal undergraduate venepuncture training and their actual clinical practice. Is there still a high prevalence of needle and syringe use?