Anatomy for nurses: Providing students with the best learning experience

Abstract

A good understanding of human anatomy is clinically relevant for many health care professionals. A detailed knowledge of where, as well as how, to palpate, percuss or auscultate is essential for adequate assessment, provision of treatment and ongoing care of patients. Thus, the linking of human anatomy and clinical assessment is essential. However, Australian nursing students are often excluded from experiences, such as exposure to cadaveric material, which might enable them to gain a good working knowledge of internal human anatomy. Herein systematic student feedback from nursing students who were provided with a single exposure to prosected human anatomical material and were able to manipulate and interact with that material is presented, in the context of the integrative educational aims and goals of this learning and teaching activity. Thus, this study aims to add to the literature informing ongoing dialog regarding the best set of tools to teach anatomy to students of nursing.