Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissection
Abstract Background Cadaveric dissection is an essential practice for medical students to understand human anatomy and internalize professional attitudes toward death, such as empathy and respect for the deceased. Previous studies have focused on emotional responses such as shock, anxiety, and fear...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06674-1 |
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| author | Young Gyu Kwon Myeong Namgung Song Hee Park Mi Kyung Kim Chan Woong Kim Hyo Hyun Yoo |
| author_facet | Young Gyu Kwon Myeong Namgung Song Hee Park Mi Kyung Kim Chan Woong Kim Hyo Hyun Yoo |
| author_sort | Young Gyu Kwon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Cadaveric dissection is an essential practice for medical students to understand human anatomy and internalize professional attitudes toward death, such as empathy and respect for the deceased. Previous studies have focused on emotional responses such as shock, anxiety, and fear at the start of dissection practice. However, limited research exists on students’ reflective thinking and perceptions before practice. This study aims is to understand premedical students’ perceptions and attitudes before dissection by analyzing their reflective writing. Methods Text network analysis of essays written in 2022 by 136 s-year premedical students before cadaveric dissection was performed. Keywords were preprocessed to extract significant themes. Centrality analysis and topic modeling were performed to analyze students’ perceptions and attitudes. Results Centrality analysis identified “cadaveric dissection,” “donation,” and “gratitude” as major keywords, indicating the students’ deep appreciation and respect for donors. Two main topics emerged from topic modeling. The first, “gratitude and respect for donors,” included keywords such as “gratitude” and “donation.” The second, “growth and responsibility of doctors through medical study and practice,” included keywords such as “study” and “medical school.” Conclusion The participants had profound gratitude and respect for donors before cadaveric dissection, which increased their motivation to learn. Analyzing reflective writing is an effective approach to understanding students’ initial perceptions and attitudes toward cadaveric dissection; further, it can inform educational strategies that aid students in forming their professional identity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5069e1b911d849e6a46f8797babeb3c4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-5069e1b911d849e6a46f8797babeb3c42025-01-26T12:39:06ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-01-0125111110.1186/s12909-025-06674-1Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissectionYoung Gyu Kwon0Myeong Namgung1Song Hee Park2Mi Kyung Kim3Chan Woong Kim4Hyo Hyun Yoo5Center for Chung-Ang Medical Education Resource Allocation (CAMERA), College of Medicine, Chung-Ang UniversityDepartment of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang UniversityDepartment of Medical Education, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang UniversityDepartment of Medical Education, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang UniversityCenter for Chung-Ang Medical Education Resource Allocation (CAMERA), College of Medicine, Chung-Ang UniversityDepartment of Medical Education, Medical School, Jeonbuk National UniversityAbstract Background Cadaveric dissection is an essential practice for medical students to understand human anatomy and internalize professional attitudes toward death, such as empathy and respect for the deceased. Previous studies have focused on emotional responses such as shock, anxiety, and fear at the start of dissection practice. However, limited research exists on students’ reflective thinking and perceptions before practice. This study aims is to understand premedical students’ perceptions and attitudes before dissection by analyzing their reflective writing. Methods Text network analysis of essays written in 2022 by 136 s-year premedical students before cadaveric dissection was performed. Keywords were preprocessed to extract significant themes. Centrality analysis and topic modeling were performed to analyze students’ perceptions and attitudes. Results Centrality analysis identified “cadaveric dissection,” “donation,” and “gratitude” as major keywords, indicating the students’ deep appreciation and respect for donors. Two main topics emerged from topic modeling. The first, “gratitude and respect for donors,” included keywords such as “gratitude” and “donation.” The second, “growth and responsibility of doctors through medical study and practice,” included keywords such as “study” and “medical school.” Conclusion The participants had profound gratitude and respect for donors before cadaveric dissection, which increased their motivation to learn. Analyzing reflective writing is an effective approach to understanding students’ initial perceptions and attitudes toward cadaveric dissection; further, it can inform educational strategies that aid students in forming their professional identity.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06674-1Cadaveric dissectionReflective writingText network analysisTopic modelingProfessional identity |
| spellingShingle | Young Gyu Kwon Myeong Namgung Song Hee Park Mi Kyung Kim Chan Woong Kim Hyo Hyun Yoo Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissection BMC Medical Education Cadaveric dissection Reflective writing Text network analysis Topic modeling Professional identity |
| title | Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissection |
| title_full | Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissection |
| title_fullStr | Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissection |
| title_short | Honoring donors: medical students’ reflections on cadaveric dissection |
| title_sort | honoring donors medical students reflections on cadaveric dissection |
| topic | Cadaveric dissection Reflective writing Text network analysis Topic modeling Professional identity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06674-1 |
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