Exploring student perception of ethnic inclusivity in the Anatomical Curriculum

The aim of medical school is to prepare students to be the best doctors possible. Students should graduate equipped with the knowledge and skills to treat and support the diverse community in which they work. This can only be effectively achieved if students receive an inclusive and diverse education. Anatomy teaching often forms the cornerstone of early-years medicine teaching, although resources are often reported to fall short in representing ethnic diversity. The aim of this novel study was to garner medical student opinion regarding the ethnic diversity of anatomical teaching resources, and to make tangible recommendations on how to improve future teaching provision. An on-line survey was distributed to second- and third-year undergraduate medical students (n=259) at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom (UK), in the academic years 2021-22 and 2022-23. Qualitative and quantitative responses showed that the majority of ethnically minoritized students did not feel represented in their anatomy education (83.0% in 2021-22 and 89.5% in 2022-23), in comparison to their fellow white students who, on the contrary, did feel represented (96.4% in 2021-22; 87.0% in 2022-23). Responses highlighted the lack of diversity in teaching and recognised the need to increase more inclusive and diverse resources, which would be relevant and applicable to future practice. Through empowering the student’s voice, recommendations underpinning future teaching considerations and implementations are discussed.