Anatomy can be rapidly forgotten without repetition and retrieval. With an overall decrease in time allotment for teaching discrete subjects, longitudinal integration of anatomy throughout medical curricula is a more effective approach. This study sought to assess the efficacy of spaced repetition in an integrated anatomy elective. An advanced anatomy elective course was designed for second-year medical students at one medical school. Spaced repetition was utilized to review gross and radiological anatomy. A total of 21 students participated in 2022 and 2023. Student reflections were collected via an online survey and focus group interviews. Qualitative data was thematically analyzed using an abductive coding scheme. Major themes and subthemes were identified via cross-case analyses. Survey results showed that 95% of students felt better prepared for USMLE Step 1 after taking this elective. Strongest aspects of the course were identified as: 1) reviewing anatomy in the context of medical imaging, 2) revisiting anatomy lab as teaching assistants, 3) reinforcing foundational and multidisciplinary basic science concepts using clinical case questions. Overall findings based on both phases of data analysis indicated that participation in the elective increased student confidence in preparation for Step 1 and helped solidify their understanding of foundational anatomical knowledge while also enhancing metacognition. An anatomy elective course can serve as an efficient and effective step toward longitudinal integration of anatomy in undergraduate medical curricula. Future research is needed to assess the quantitative impact of this educational intervention on long-term learning and student performance on Step 1.

Background: Human dissection in medical education presents an ethically complex terrain shaped by institutional norms, peer culture, and personal values. While formal codes and donor protections have evolved, little is known about how students themselves define and interpret ethical conduct in the gross anatomy lab. This qualitative study explored medical students’ perceptions of ethical behavior during dissection. Methods: Twenty students from all four years of medical school at a single U.S. institution participated in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analyzed inductively using open coding to identify recurring themes. Credibility was enhanced through analyst triangulation, reflexive dialogue, and use of illustrative quotes. Results: Three overarching themes emerged: (1) Ethical practices were linked to faculty role-modeling, peer and self-monitoring, and mindfulness during dissection; (2) Unethical practices included inappropriate jokes, careless handling of donor bodies, and unprofessional behavior; and (3) Ethically challenging situations involved uncertainty about donor consent, tension between objectification and personification of the body, and unspoken norms discouraging emotional expression. These dynamics often went unaddressed by formal instruction or policy, leaving students to navigate them independently. Conclusions: Students engage with dissection not only as a technical task but also as a moral experience. While institutional rules and professional standards are necessary, they are often insufficient on their own to help students smoothly navigate the ethical and emotional complexities of the anatomy lab. Anatomy education should incorporate structured opportunities for ethical and emotional reflection, reinforce transparency around body donation, and foster a culture that validates emotional responses. These practices may better support professional identity formation and align ethical conduct with students’ lived experiences.

This paper presents a concise, introductory overview of critical constructivist theory and its relevance to contemporary medical education. Drawing on principles of constructivist learning theory and critical pedagogy, critical constructivism connects learners’ active construction of knowledge with critical examination of the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts that shape that process. This primer outlines the foundational concepts of critical constructivism, situates it alongside related perspectives on learning, and considers important conceptual issues, including the relationship between knowledge construction, disciplinary expertise, and scientific evidence. We then examine how critical constructivist principles can inform medical education across classroom and clinical settings, with applications to student-centered learning, clinical reasoning, interprofessional teamwork, reflective practice, assessment, curriculum design, faculty development, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Particular attention is given to how teaching strategies can move beyond active or collaborative learning to incorporate dialogue, critical reflection, diverse perspectives, and examination of the assumptions and power dynamics that shape knowledge and practice. The contribution of this primer is primarily translational: it provides medical educators who may have limited formal exposure to educational theory with an accessible entry point into an established body of scholarship while drawing explicit connections to contemporary educational practice. Critical constructivism offers one useful theoretical lens for supporting learning that is active, collaborative, reflective, and responsive to the complex social and clinical contexts of modern healthcare.

Social networking platforms offer promising educational value, particularly for undergraduate students whose daily lives are deeply embedded in online spaces. Yet in most courses, instructional technologies remain limited to institutional learning management systems (LMS), which often do not foster informal interaction or community. This study examined whether supplementing LMS with a Facebook group could enhance academic outcomes and retention in undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) courses. Over two semesters, two student cohorts (N = 39) were taught by the same instructor using identical materials; one cohort also used a closed Facebook group for course-related engagement. Students in the Facebook cohort scored significantly higher on mid-semester unit exams (p < .001 to p = .006). Though final course grades were not significantly different (p = .186), regression analysis revealed a 9.4% higher mean final grade among Facebook users. Importantly, the pass rate in the Facebook cohort was 94.7% compared to 45% in the control group, with dropout rates significantly lower (5.3% vs. 55%, p = .001). These findings suggest that incorporating social media into undergraduate science instruction may promote academic success and retention by providing a familiar, collaborative space for active learning and peer support.

This perspective paper explores current trends in teaching cultural diversity in U.S. medical schools, emphasizing persistent gaps in both the scope and coherence of existing curricula. It revisits four foundational models that have shaped the discourse on cultural diversity education, namely cultural immersion, cultural humility, cultural sensibility, and cultural expertise. Building upon these, the paper introduces four complementary frameworks of mindfulness, dialogical learning, epistemological pluralism, and democratic education. They serve primarily as an accessory role to extend and operationalize the reflective and relational principles of earlier models. Together, these approaches offer a more nuanced, dynamic, and transformative understanding of culture in clinical care, moving beyond static notions of competence toward deeper personal and professional growth. Rather than treating cultural diversity as a discrete topic, the paper advocates for its integration throughout the medical curriculum. Embedding these frameworks into core educational experiences helps prepare students to engage meaningfully with diverse patient populations, develop more equitable clinical practices, and strengthen physician-patient relationships across cultural and identity differences. By promoting a more systematic and interdisciplinary strategy for teaching cultural diversity, this paper underscores the importance of cultural responsiveness as a key component of medical professionalism. Ultimately, this cultural responsiveness is crucial to addressing health disparities and advancing health equity in increasingly diverse healthcare environments.

Medical professionalism is a core component of medical education, yet it remains conceptually ambiguous and inconsistently articulated across institutions, cultures and training contexts. Although students are expected to demonstrate professionalism as part of professional identity formation, the meanings and expectations associated with professionalism are often implicit, variable and shaped by both formal curricula and the hidden curriculum. This qualitative study examined how medical students articulate and make sense of professionalism during undergraduate medical training using a discourse-informed analytical approach. All students (M1–M4) at a single US medical school were invited to participate, and recruitment concluded after 44 students volunteered. Data were collected through 20 individual semistructured interviews and four focus groups, and transcripts were analysed inductively to identify recurring ways professionalism was articulated in students’ accounts. Analysis revealed three recurring ways professionalism circulated in student discourse: (1) definable and actionable, in which professionalism was described through observable behaviours such as punctuality, dress and communication; (2) inherently subjective, where professionalism was framed as situational, relational and shaped by cultural or interpersonal expectations; and (3) uncertain and confusing, characterised by difficulty articulating a coherent understanding and by the expansion of professionalism into broader expectations of self-presentation and image management. Across these accounts, students most often articulated professionalism in physician-centred terms, emphasising self-regulation, appearance, composure and evaluability, reflecting the institutional and assessment contexts of early medical training. This study demonstrates that medical students encounter professionalism through multiple coexisting ways of understanding that circulate within medical education and are variably taken up as students navigate professional expectations. By shifting analytical attention away from defining what professionalism should be and toward examining how professionalism is articulated and taken up in practice, a discourse-informed approach offers a productive framework for understanding professional identity formation in contemporary medical education.