Vertical integration of anatomy education in medical school

Student feedbacks are one of the common research methods to assess the level reached by the education process, defining and completing missing points and correcting mistakes. Feedbacks help the participants to partake in the education process. Therefore, this research method is commonly used and has become an integral part of the education programs in the operating period. In many studies, it is stated that medicine students' anatomy knowledge decrease with time and "the negligence of vertical integration in anatomy teaching" is counted among the reasons. We tried to draw attention to the need of vertical integration in medicine faculties with the questionnaire we prepared. The study is conducted with 3rd – 6th grade students, practicing physicians, research fellows, specialist and lecturers from Afyon Kocatepe University, Pamukkale University and Namık Kemal University. The participants were chosen among those who got integrated education. In the study, the participants are asked to answer 16 questions with 5 options, prepared as a Likert test. The questionnaire was handed out by lecturers of anatomy department in the 2013-2014 academic year, in April, after getting the necessary permissions from the faculty deans. 344 volunteers attended the study. 45% of them are students or employees of Afyon Kocatepe University, 38% of them are of Namık Kemal University, 17% of them are of Pamukkale University. 51,5% of them were female and 48,5% of them are males. 90% of them are medicine students, 6% of them are practicing physicians or research fellows, %1 of them are specialists and 3% of them are lecturers. Of the students, 36% of them are 3rd graders, 37% of them are 4th graders, 7% of them are 5th graders and 10% of them are 6th graders. The majority of participants responded positive for the questions "There must be repeat lessons of 1st and 2nd grade lessons in 4th and 5th grades." (by 45%), "Practice hours of anatomy must be increased." (by 59%), "Anatomy theory can be made easier for me to learn with clinic knowledge." (by 85%), "Along with anatomy theory and practice, students must be given radiologic and cross sectional anatomy lessons." (75%). Anatomy education given in the first years is usually forgotten in the following years because it relies on memorization. Therefore, a reminder lesson in clinic internships, (especially at the beginning of clinic internships) will be useful in terms of vertical integration. We also think it will be useful to update the curriculum, by making minor changes in it regarding the method, content and clinic relation of the anatomy education (appropriate with the vertical and horizontal integration). Consequently, our aim is to provide a standard education that meets the minimal requirements but not a uniform anatomy education. Departments must be able to exceed their curricula and add topics, methods and printouts related with their own departments. We think it is necessary to prepare a standard for anatomy, compatible with the one that is planned to be made according to Ulusal Çekirdek Eğitim Programı (UÇEP) in undergraduate medicine education. In this age when we feel the effects of globalization on the medicine education, it is a must to meet the educational requirements compatible with universal norms. Ensuring universal and national norms will increase the quality of our doctors of this new method of education and will enable them to be "world doctors". We believe that our study will be a guide for the studies that aim to increase the quality standards of education and the core undergrad educational commission gathered by Counsel of Medicine Deans that will work to achieve the same goals.