The Future of Morphological Science Education: Learning and Teaching Anatomy in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Apr 3;20(7):5367. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20075367.

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic has conveyed an unprecedented worldwide challenge. Although there is much emphasis on caring for patients and communities, the high incidence of SARS-CoV-2 had seriously disturbed education and calls for prompt as well as serious consideration from educators in medical schools. The necessity to teach and prepare prospective medics, as well as clinicians, has certainly not been as intense as it is currently. The global effects of coronavirus disease 2019 may cause a permanent change in the education of future clinicians. The COVID-19 era presented logistical and practical obstacles and fears for the patients' well-being, taking into consideration the fact that students may be potential channels for the spread of the virus when asymptomatic and may get infected while being in training and attending lectures. This paper discusses the present state of morphological science education, depicting the effect of COVID-19 on learning environments, as well as highlights the probable effects of COVID-19 on medical instruction in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; anatomical education; distance learning; medical education; morphological sciences.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • Education, Distance*
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Prospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Students, Medical*
  • Teaching

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Medical University of Lublin, grant number DS401.