Anatomy has historically been a cornerstone in medical education regardless of specialty. It is essential for physicians to be able to perform a variety of tasks, including performing invasive procedures, examining radiological images, performing a physical examination of a patient, etc. Medical students have to be prepared for such tasks, and we can assist this by changing the way that we educate students in medical schools. Thus, newer medical curricula need to be designed according to needs of future physicians. In this report, we describe a unique program called the Integrated Clinical Anatomy Program (ICAP). The ICAP was developed at the College of Medicine of Alfaisal University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Here, we describe the unique features of this program, including the structure and facilities of the Anatomy Resource Center. The Anatomy Resource Center plays a pivotal role in engaging the students for faculty-directed structured laboratory sessions as well as peer-assisted uniform student-centered learning. The ICAP has shown great promise, as reflected by early results from a nationwide progress test. Students from all years of the Alfaisal University medical school scored significantly higher than the national average on the anatomy and physiology component of the nationwide progress test examination, with P values of 0.0179 and 0.0015, respectively. We believe that the ICAP can be used as a model for teaching clinically applied functional anatomy to medical students in a hybrid curriculum around the world.

Background: Lower back pain (LBP) is defined as any recurring lumbar pain between the rib cage and the buttocks present at the time of the study. This study investigated the point prevalence, associated risk factors, and degree of disability of LBP among medical students at Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study evaluated 331 medical students using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI; used to gauge LBP degree of disability) supplemented with demographic and lifestyle questions. The respondents were mostly first-year, female, and between the ages of 17 and 21 years. Results: Analysis uncovered that Female students, extended durations of phone usage, and those who did not exercise were more likely to experience LBP (p < 0.001; p = 0.042; p = 0.001). A higher degree of disability was associated with participants older than 21 years, who used their devices for extended periods, and who slept less (β = 0.170, p = 0.006). While most students experienced LBP (73.4%), the ODI revealed that the majority were not deemed disabled (56.9%). Factors associated with LBP prevalence were not necessarily associated with a higher degree of disability per the ODI. Conclusions: LBP is highly prevalent among medical students, with several associated risk factors. Female medical students remain a significant at-risk group. These findings highlight the need for a broader intervention against LBP, such as ergonomic and lifestyle improvements that consider a multitude of factors.

COVID-19 pandemic has increased social media engagement globally. This study examined the correlation between social media use and physical/mental health among university students, considering gender and academic year. Out of 146 responses, 119 were analyzed after excluding participants with pre-existing psychological conditions. Results showed a significant correlation between social media use and mental health for all participants (correlation coefficient = 0.30, p < 0.001), indicating a negative impact on mental health with increased use. Gender-specific analysis revealed a non-significant correlation among males (p = 0.21), while females exhibited a significant correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.32, p = 0.01), suggesting an adverse effect on their mental health. Regarding physical health, females displayed an even higher correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.40, p < 0.001), highlighting the negative influence of social media on their physical well-being. Conversely, no significant correlation was observed among males. Analyzing by academic year, both pre-clerkship and clerkship students showed a significant correlation between social media use and mental health (correlation coefficients of 0.26, p = 0.01, and 0.42, p = 0.03, respectively). Similarly, a significant correlation was found between social media use and physical health among pre-clerkship students (correlation coefficient = 0.34, p = 0.001), but not among clerkship students. In conclusion, this study provides evidence of the adverse impact of social media use on physical and mental health among university students, particularly among females and across different academic years. These findings underscore the importance of promoting healthy social media habits and raising awareness about the potential negative effects on well-being.

This study explores the implementation of Team-Based Learning (TBL) at Alfaisal University’s College of Medicine through the lens of Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory. The research question investigates how the application of CAS principles can enhance the implementation and effectiveness of TBL in medical education. The study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods longitudinal design, integrating quantitative performance metrics and qualitative themes. Quantitative analysis revealed modest improvements in individual and team-based learning scores, with a promising trend of students moving from the lower to the higher quartiles over time. Qualitative insights aligned with CAS principles, highlighting the adaptive implementation, emergent outcomes, self-organization, positive feedback loops, and depth of learning facilitated by TBL. The findings demonstrate the value of a CAS-informed approach in navigating the complexities of educational change and fostering a more resilient and adaptive educational model. The study contributes to the understanding of how CAS theory can guide the successful implementation of innovative pedagogies like TBL in medical education.

Background: Career decision-making in medical education predominantly reflects Western individualistic frameworks emphasizing personal autonomy. The intersection of clinical rotation experiences with family collective agency and culturally embedded gender norms in collectivist contexts remains insufficiently examined. Methods: We conducted 32 semi-structured interviews with medical ( n = 18; 9 female, 9 male) and dental students ( n = 14; 8 female, 6 male) aged 20–25 years across four institutions in Peshawar, Pakistan (August–November 2024). We used reflexive thematic analysis, applying Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), Communities of Practice (CoP), and intersectionality as sensitizing concepts to examine how rotation experiences are interpreted through family decision-making and Pashtun sociocultural norms. Results: Five interrelated themes emerged. Clinical stress was frequently interpreted through family honor ( izzat ), extending beyond individual performance concerns. Career decision-making operated through collective family deliberation, with economic obligation commonly shaping men’s specialty trajectories and marriage-related expectations consistently constraining women’s career planning through anticipatory specialty screening. Participation patterns ranged from progressive apprenticeship to persistent gender-based marginalization, including exclusion of female students from male patient examinations and restricted access to night shifts in Peshawar institutions. Female participants described a “doctor daughter” paradox in which medical education was encouraged while post-graduation practice was constrained. The absence of female role models in surgical specialties undermined surgical self-efficacy among female participants considering male-dominated fields. Conclusion: Career development in collectivist contexts operates through family collective agency and culturally structured participation norms that are not well captured by individualistic models. Our findings suggest SCCT may require reconceptualization to incorporate collective efficacy, honor-based outcome expectations, family approval–filtered goal formation, and cultural context as a central organizing condition. Medical education policy should recognize career “choice” as a negotiated family process rather than an exclusively individual decision.