Course Description

This block emphasizes the application of anatomical knowledge to clinical practice. Students will explore the human body using a virtual 3D program (Anatomy.TV), revealing the anatomical basis for performing clinical procedures and conducting the physical exam. In addition, students will learn how to assess which structures may be injured or diseased based on a patient presentation. The Clinical Anatomy Block occurs primarily in small laboratory groups, so that students can develop visual, audio and kinesthetic learning skills at the ‘bedside’. This experience is made possible by the generous gifts of the willed body donors. The block also includes activities that are designed to develop skills in critical thinking and professional teamwork, and help students prepare for the exams.

Learning Objectives

Educational Program Objectives are a subset of more broadly defined physician competencies, which represent general domains of performance for which the profession and the public hold physicians accountable.

Upon completing the Clinical Anatomy block, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate empathy and respect for colleagues and the willed body donors.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively in a group.
  • Demonstrate the ability to learn at the ‘bedside,’ utilizing a combination of audio, visual and kinesthetic learning styles.
  • Identify organs, vessels, nerves, bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons on the willed body donors, anatomical models and images.
  • Use standard anatomical terminology to describe the structure and 3D relationships of the human body.
  • Apply knowledge of 3D relationships to explain what is targeted and what is avoided when performing basic clinical procedures.
  • Apply knowledge of 3D relationships to predict which structures are at risk by an injury in a particular location.
  • Apply knowledge of muscle actions and motor and sensory innervations to predict how patients will present following muscle injuries and nerve lesions.
  • Apply knowledge of vascular territories and drainage patterns to predict which regions will be affected by the severance or compression of blood vessels.
  • Apply knowledge of lymphatic drainage patterns to predict the spread of infections and disease.