European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 18 - Number 4
Eur J Anat, 18 (4): 327-333 (2014)

Launching the UKā??s first National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition: an innovative approach to support student professional development

Samuel R. Hall1,2, Jonathan Stephens1, Matheus Andrade1, Joseph Davids2, Andrew Lowry1, Elizabeth Casselden1, Elizabeth Emsley1 and Scott Border1

1Centre for Learning Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK and 2University Hospitals Southampton, NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK

ABSTRACT Hospital specialties are becoming increasingly competitive and medical students are encouraged to prepare for job applications by engaging in research, attending conferences, and competing for academic prizes. At the University of Southampton the first national competition in neuroanatomy was established in 2013 for medical students wishing to pursue neuroscience related careers. Questionnaire responses from competitors at the first National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC) were collated and analysed alongside their examination performance. The average competitor rating for the importance of academic prizes was 4.0 out of 5 although 60% of attendees had never entered a competition before. Students in their clinical years of study performed significantly better than those in their pre-clinical years (p=0.0379). Furthermore, the average overall score of those studying at a London University was significantly higher than everyone else (61.0% vs. 44.6%, p=0.0019). There was a weak correlation between a studentā??s level of confidence in their neuroanatomy knowledge with their examination performance (r=0.42, p=0.022). From this study we have identified a desire amongst medical students for a neuroanatomy competition. Analysis of student performance identified several trends in examination ability which have the potential to influence undergraduate neuroanatomy education in the future.

Keywords: Neuroanatomy, Awards and Prizes, Education, Medical undergraduate, Career mobility, Educational measurement

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)