ABSTRACT
Introduction: Soft-embalmed cadavers have been used in medical education with a variety of success in different curriculum objectives. In the United States, the ACL is the most commonly injured ligament. Yet, there has been little focus on the stability of the knee in the sagittal plane provided by the anterior cruciate ligament within the soft-embalmed cadaver model. If the soft-embalmed cadaver ligaments contain similar elastic properties as an in-vivo knees, this will offer yet another means for further advancements in medical education to detect and assess musculoskeletal injuries. Purpose: Evaluate how similarly the anterior tibial translation of soft-embalmed cadaver anterior cruciate ligaments compares to in-vivo tissue. Methods: The KT-1000 arthrometer was used to assess the laxity of the anterior cruciate ligament of thirteen soft-embalmed cadavers consisting of five females and eight males with a mean age of 79.3 years and duration of time since embalming ranging from 250 to 1156 days. Anterior displacement of the tibia in relation to the femur was registered at 67N and 89N. The soft-embalmed cadaver measurements were compared against twenty-one healthy uninjured individuals whose anterior tibial translation was measured using the same process. Data sets were analyzed using a welch two-sample t-test to determine the similarity between the means of the data sets. Results: The t-tests proved a significant difference between live and soft-embalmed cadaver knees. The anterior tibial translation in the set of healthy live knees directly compared to the soft-embalmed cadaver group for 67N depicts an average difference of 1.76mm. The same comparison at 89N depicts an average difference of 2.12mm. Conclusion: While soft-embalmed cadavers may not directly replicate ATT to an exact number to that of in vivo tissue, they still allow the perception of the tibial translation against a stationary femur. The difference is less than 2.5 mm in both data sets when compared to an in-vivo knee, equivalent to one-tenth of an inch. Suggesting the viability of soft-embalmed cadavers ATT and should not exclude their use in medical education.
ABSTRACT
PROBLEM: Providing medical students with resources to make effective career choices is challenging for medical schools as career options outnumber the formal clinical rotations students can experience during their undergraduate education. APPROACH: In 2009, the authors introduced the Career Exploration (CE) courses into the required curriculum at the Quillen College of Medicine. This three-course sequence includes large-group sessions addressing broad issues related to career choices, small-group specialty interest groups, individual student self-assessments, assignments through which students receive individualized feedback, and individual student advising sessions. The overall objective of the course sequence is to involve all students in career planning from the beginning of medical school so as to help them make more informed career decisions. OUTCOMES: The authors used improvement in student satisfaction with career planning activities as a surrogate measure for the outcome of helping students make more informed career choices. Students evaluated the CE courses positively, and overall satisfaction scores averaged 4 (1 = poor to 5 = excellent). Scores on Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire items related to career planning showed improved student satisfaction from 2010 to 2015. NEXT STEPS: Succession planning for the first- and second-year career advisor is vital-as is faculty development for all clinical advisors to ensure that they have current information regarding both the curriculum and Match process, especially as residency selection becomes increasingly competitive. Enhancing the role of fourth-year students who serve as CE III mentors has the potential to prepare these students to be better teachers as residents.
