Scottish anatomy departments: adapting to change.

OBJECTIVE: To document changes to the academic infrastructure of Scottish departments of anatomy over the past 20 years and compare the strategic approaches adopted by each institution to ensure continued provision of the subject to medical students. DESIGN Interviews with principal anatomy staff members to obtain targeted information (staff numbers, staff recruitment, student numbers, staff:student ratio and contact hours in the medical curriculum) by investigating three temporal snapshots chosen at 10 year intervals (academic years 1983/4, 1993/4 and 2003/4). PARTICIPANTS: Principal teaching staff members from the anatomy departments at the five Scottish medical schools: University of Aberdeen, University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow and the University of St Andrews. Additional information was forthcoming from the admissions office of each University. RESULTS: Over the past 20 years the Scottish anatomy schools have weathered a variety of external and internal influences and each school has adopted very individual strategies to the delivery and maintenance of their subject. Some schools have unquestionably been more affected than others but all have responded in a unique way to the demands of the disciplines they choose to subserve. In general, each school has seen a decline in the compliment of teachers (staff + demonstrators) whereas the student number has increased dramatically. Each department has micromanaged its proportions of lectures, dissecting room practical time and tutorials to best fit their student base, staff capabilities and the requirements of, and/or alterations to, the medical curriculum offered in their institution.

Anatomy in Scotland: 20 years of change.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To document changes in the educational infrastructure of anatomy in Scotland over the past 20 years. To investigate the possible impact of the GMC 1993 recommendations and assess the preparedness of Scottish anatomy to meet the implications of the proposed amendment to the I984 Anatomy Act. RESULTS: Over the past 2 years in Scotland, the total number of teaching staff in anatomy (full time, part time and honorary) has decreased by over 24%, full time teaching staff numbers have decreased by more than 33% and the number of clinical demonstrators by more than 70%. However, medical student intake has risen by 38% and the overall student number experiencing anatomical teaching (medicine, science and dentistry) has more than doubled, resulting in a current average staff:student ratio of 1:58. Anatomy contact hours between staff and medical students have decreased by just over 60% in the last 20 years. CONCLUSIONS: In the last 20 years, contact hours and staffing levels have decreased substantially in Scotland whilst student numbers (medical, science and dental) have increased significantly. On average the anatomical input to the medical curriculum decreased by 28% between 1983 and 1993 but post the GMC initiative, there was a further decrease of 45% resulting in current medical students in Scotland experiencing a 60% reduction in contact anatomy time compared to their peers in the early 1980's. The decline in anatomical infrastructure is not a reassuring indicator of its ability to meet substantial future demands.