The First Australasian School of Rural Medicine: How Rural Fellows Addressed the "Anatomy Problem"

The first Australasian School of Rural Medicine opened in Armidale, in 2008. The curriculum is the University of Newcastle's problem-based course. "Basic Sciences" relevant to the week's problem are taught by "overview". Anatomy is taught by "problem-relevant system overview". Simultaneous curriculum-delivery occurs at both universities. College Fellows among the School's "founding fathers", concerned about anatomy "deficiency" in 'new curricula' courses, believing anatomy to be critical to rural medical practice, wanted their School's students taught regional anatomy by dissection, applied to physical examination, diagnostic image-interpretation, rural surgery and pathology. Such teaching is not a part of the "joint curriculum". Solution – establish a voluntary-attendance, after-hours course, 'Evening Anatomy Club'. Launched, in March, "Club" teaching involved weekly preparatory study, completion of an assignment (marked and returned at the next class), a lecture, followed by surgeon-facilitated practical sessions utilizing bones, images, prosections, surface anatomy and dissection. Three, surgeon-facilitated, "Dissection Long-weekends" followed – students were introduced to physical examination, anatomical "variation", identifying pathology via documentation of features, findings, for the cadaver. Table groups proposed, and revised, contributory cause of death for their patient. Finally, their diagnosis of cause, by post-mortem examination, was contrasted with the formal Death Certificate's cause. "Club" meetings concluded with a voluntary examination. A survey related to the course, its content, teaching, and student-perceived relevance, was conducted.