Medical Clinical Anatomy

December, 2003

Dear Class of M'07:

It's a pleasure to welcome you to the Clinical Anatomy Home Page, 2004 version. This site should provide answers to many of the questions you have about the Clinical Anatomy course, and help to prepare you for the first weeks of class.

Clinical Anatomy commences on your first day back at school after the Winter Break, on January 5, 2004. We begin with a morning orientation at 11AM, followed by an afternoon session consisting of a lecture on the anterior thigh region and your first anatomy lab.

The Course Syllabus will be available in the OSA when you return from break. Much of the introductory information contained therein: class schedule, a list of books and supplies, faculty directory and examination/grading policy, is available to you now as part of this website.

You will be working in groups of 6 in the anatomy lab. These groups are randomly assembled, much in the manner of PBL groups. Our intent is to give you an opportunity to form working relationships with classmates you may not already know well. You will be notified of your lab groups by email.

Most students have questions about how to prepare for the first lab. There will be many recycled dissection manuals, atlases and instruments available to you, so you don't need to buy a lot of supplies in advance. You will, however, need to purchase your own latex (or non-latex, if you have allergies) gloves. I'd also like to remind you that no contact lenses may be worn to lab.

There are lockers in the basement and on the first floor of the M&V Building that will be available to you. (It's customary for female students to occupy the first-floor lockers; men usually take the ones in the basement). Although there is no specific dress code for the lab, most students prefer washable cotton clothing, such as scrubs or lab coats.

It is natural for you to be feeling some anxiety about going to lab for the first time. Please be reassured that most students quickly feel at home there after the first few days. The best way to deal with any discomfort is to acknowledge it freely: to your lab partners, your instructors, and most importantly, to yourself. Talking things over, with other students or with faculty, can be helpful. We encourage you to share your feelings and reactions to dissection, death and dying with us now and throughout the course. In addition, the Wellness Committee has several activities and strategies designed to ease your adjustment, including a panel discussion with upperclassmen, to be held at a date early in the semester.

If you take a look at the Clinical Anatomy site on TUSK, you will find that we have many online resources to enhance and support your study. New this year is a section on gender-related clinical correlation; we hope that you will find this material interesting and informative.

Please also note the Clinical Anatomy Message Board. This feature was introduced last year, and students and faculty found it a useful medium for posting general questions and concerns about the course, and quickly relaying information to the whole class. Often, when I receive email regarding issues of general interest, I "cut and paste" into a message which I then post on the discussion board; this method maintains individual privacy, but distributes the essential information to all students in a timely fashion.

Enjoy the holidays! I look forward to meeting you when you return to school in January, and to introducing you to the rest of the teaching staff. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns regarding Anatomy that you may have.

Myra B. Rufo, Ph.D.

Course Director,

Medical Clinical Anatomy

myra.rufo@tufts.edu