Overall Objectives

The overall objective for students of this course is to obtain functional knowledge of normal human gross and developmental anatomy as a basis for the study and practice of medicine.   Students should develop a working mental image of the human body and its constituent tissues and organs and their function so that they may recognize abnormal anatomy and function and thus be able to diagnose clinical conditions of abnormal function caused by altered anatomy. The Performance Objectives for Gross Anatomy 2007 (PO) will define virtually all that is expected for the course and provide learning material for each session.  The pace at which the student should achieve those objectives are listed in the Gross and Developmental Anatomy Schedule 2007.  If the student works thoroughly through all of the PO's, he/she will have covered all that we require, and examinations should be no problem..

The overall objective for the faculty of this course is to aid the students in fulfilling their objectives.  Faculty lectures, lab leadership, and other interactions are designed to enable students to fulfill the PO.

The purpose of the activities (lectures, labs, discussions, videos, drills, reviews, problems, PBLs) and resources of the course (textbooks, handouts, atlases, problem sets, dictionaries, web postings, cadavers) is to enable students to fulfill the PO.
Expectations:

We expect professional demeanor and language, as well as mutual respect among students and between students and faculty.  We expect your goal in this course of study to be to learn and retain clinical gross anatomy, not simply to score a great grade.  Your future patients will not profit from your grades, but they will profit greatly from your knowledge and ability. 


Materials Recommended:
Textbook:
Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 8th Edition, Richard S. Snell, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Atlas:
Atlas of Human Anatomy, 4th Edition, Frank Netter (3rd Ed is also suitable), OR
Grant's Atlas of Anatomy, 11th Edition, Agur & Lee, Williams & Wilkins

Each student should have one atlas. The atlas by Agur and Lee will correlate with the dissection guide, but most students prefer Netter's atlast for personal study. We recommend that each dissection table have a copy of each at the table for reference during dissection.
Medical Dictionary:
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (Recommended)
Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Stedman's Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Gould's Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Laboratory Guide:
Grant's Dissector, 13th Edition, Patrick W. Tank, Williams & Wilkins

Each student will require a copy of the dissection guide.
Laboratory Wear:
One dissection gown (preferably which ties rather than buttons) will be adequate if it can be kept sufficiently clean. otherwise, two may be required. Scrub suits/dresses may be worn. No sandals or open toed shoes are permitted, as sharp instruments may inadvertently be dropped, causing injury. Shorts are not permitted.
Dissection Kit:
Each student will require a medical dissection kit of the type sold in the Bookstore.
NOTE:
All the above texts and supplies are available for purchase from the Tulane Medical School Bookstore. The Bookstore will only keep textbooks and atlases in stock for three weeks after the course has started. Be sure to purchase books during this time. If the Bookstore has to order additional books after that period, it will take a minimum of 10 days.

Course Format:

The course is divided into three sections or blocks:

Block 1: Back and Upper Limb (7 weeks)
Block 2:Thorax , Abdomen, Pelvis and Perineum (6 weeks)
Block 3: Lower Limb, Head, Neck (7 weeks)

Each class meeting, apart from examinations, is generally of four hours duration and is called a session.  Each session will in general consist of a lecture, a laboratory discussion, and a laboratory dissection, although on various occasions, one or more of these three activities may be omitted.  The schedule details are given in Gross and Developmental Anatomy Schedule 2007.  The dissection material and reading assignment from Grant’s Dissector is indicated as well.  Students should come to laboratory having read the daily assignment and examined appropriate atlas and text materials.


Examinations:
There will be two examinations, a mid-block exam and an end-block exam in the first block only.  The mid-block exam will be an online, computer based test (CBT) with a self assessment nature covering the material of the first half of the block.  It will include both didactic material and clinical/anatomical problems, with emphasis on the former.  The end-block exam will be both written and practical.  The written portion will cover the entire block for its didactic material and the entire block for clinical/functional problems.  The latter will be emphasized.  The Practice Problems for 2007 and Answers to Practice Problems for 2007 will aid you in learning to solve clinical/functional problems. The written examination will be of about one and a half hour duration.

The practical examinations will be primarily an identification exam of cadaveric, osteological, and radiographic material.  The Structures Lists is a study guide for all of the structures that you should be able to identify on a cadaver. Radiographic tags will be similar to those displayed in the Radiograph Room or found in the Virtual Radiograph Room (VRR).


Grading Criteria:
In addition to the examinations, the course grade will depend upon laboratory performance as determined by laboratory directors.  The laboratory grade will depend upon: 1) attendance; 2) dissection participation and quality; 3) preparedness; and 4) cooperation with other students and faculty.  Only students who excel in all of the four above-mentioned activities will receive laboratory grades of 86% or more.
Block Grades:

1st Block :
mid-block (CBT) = 0% - self-assessment
end-block written = 50%
practical exam = 50%

2nd and 3rd Blocks:
written = 50%
practical = 50%

Course Grade:
average of three block grades = 90%
laboratory grade = 10%

The grading scale will be as follows:

Honors (H) = 94%
High Pass (HP) = 86%
Pass (P) = 70%
Condition (C) = 66%
Fail = 65%
Condition Repeat (CR) = 70% for course but less than 70% on practical average (See below)

In order to pass the course, each student must obtain at least a passing grade on the overall course grade, as well as the average of the three practical exams.  In the case of a students having a passing grade, but less than 70% for the practical average, a grade of Condition Repeat (CR) will be assigned, which will require retaking the course before credit and promotion will be awarded.

Dress Code:
Students are expected to dress modestly.  No shorts or open-toed shoes are allowed in the gross anatomy labs.  No inappropriate (for physicians) jewelry, such as tongue studs, should be worn.

Honor Code:
Each student is expected to fully follow the honor code at all times.  By turning in examination papers, the student affirms that the honor code has been observed.
Cadaveric material is to be respected at all times.  Disrespect will be considered a violation of the honor code.
Cadaveric material and lab skeletons are not to be transported from one room to another by a student.  Only instructors or their designees are allowed to do so. A student's doing this will be considered a violation of the honor code. 
Articulated skeletons are not to be disarticulated.  To do so will be considered a violation of the honor code.
Radiographic material is not to be removed from the radiograph rooms or tampered with in any way. To do so will be considered a violation of the honor code.
Programs/Data are not to be installed to, copied from or deleted from the anatomy lab computers by students. To do so will be considered a violation of the honor code.
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