Cadavers in Medical Training

The medical community has long believed in the value of human anatomy as an integral aspect of learning. The entire field of clinical medicine is based on hands-on care. As such, it should be conducted by professionals who are already experienced with human tissue when they set foot into the operating room or office. Likewise, first responders should also have this level of hands-on familiarity with human tissue beyond the memorization of location and biological function. According to studies, a lack of this anatomical knowledge can make it difficult to retain information related to patient care. Historically, medical institutions had required students to attend at least one cadaver lab to study anatomy. Over time, though, and across different clinical areas, including first responders, models shifted to plastic mannequins and virtual simulations. While we live in a high-tech world now, we respectfully argue that high-tech training is no substitute for authentic human tissue. Cadaver training provides students across all fields the visual and tactile experience they need to expand their capacity as clinicians.

Neither mannequins nor virtual simulations can replicate human anatomy. Numerous studies have found that healthcare professionals from surgeons to nurses to first responders demonstrate greater anatomical knowledge as a result of cadaver training. The cadaver lab extends textbook knowledge by translating it into a hands-on activity. We can only learn so much by watching and listening. We gain so much more by doing. In this way, cadaver training allows clinicians to fully integrate the techniques that they will be required to do in the field. In the area of emergency and field medicine, every minute counts. Full integration of clinical technologies and procedures can expedite the delivery of appropriate care and, at the […]

The medical community has been well served by the study of human cadaver tissues for many years. As new technologies have emerged, however, so have ideas that “newer is better.” In some instances this may be true. When it comes to fully understanding the human body and the various ways in which human tissue may respond to treatments, we respectfully disagree. Med Ed Labs was established with the intent of bringing physicians, first responders, medical device developers, and other relevant personnel face to face with their target, the human body. 

They say that knowledge is power. For the appropriate professional, human cadaver training offers enlightenment in a multitude of areas. Our varied trainings and cadaver lab set-ups can achieve several objectives, such as:

Optimal placement of injectables or other techniques in actual human anatomy, not virtual simulation. 
Dimensional compatibility between human anatomy and new technologies. 
Accurate spatial relationships between a device and its accessories and anatomical structures

Cadaver Labs are High-Tech and High-Touch
Historically, cadaver labs were associated with medical training in the college environment. A stint in the cadaver lab was something medical students either really looked forward to or really did not. We see the value of cadaver training far beyond general anatomy and physiology teaching. Our learning environments are hands-on and focused on both general and specialized techniques and may include interventional supplies, surgical supplies, imaging equipment, and more. In this way, we can help improve development by removing the guesswork that has been typical to some medical training. For example, using a cadaver lab, a professional does not face:

Postural and anatomical differences between animal models and the human body. 
Inaccurate representations of physiological disease states as they occur in the human body […]

The value of anatomy as an integral aspect of medical science and education has been understood for aeons. The anatomical structure of the human body, in particular, is foundational to the retention of clinical knowledge. This is as true for nurses and first responders as it is for medical doctors and surgeons. It is also true for those who develop medical devices and instrumentation. For many years, medical institutions have supported academic development by teaching anatomy and physiology. Many medical students can remember the first time they set foot in the cadaver lab. However, as times and technologies have changed, education as it pertains to anatomy has shifted into the virtual realm. 

The argument regarding the continued validity of real-life, hands-on cadaver training has gone on for years now. Respectfully, we maintain our stance that anything less than cadaver training is lacking in giving a medical professional or first responder the skills to face what they will be exposed to on the job. Cadaver training isn’t just about anatomy and physiology. It is about gaining the visual and tactile experience of various anatomical structures. It is about exposure to the natural variables that exist in the human body. Ultimately, cadaver training is more than a conceptual experience, it is one that involves mind, body, and emotion. 
Additional Aspects of Clinical Work
While anatomy is an important aspect of clinical practice, the involvement of emotional and psychological responses on the job cannot be overlooked. These responses exist even in the educational sector in which students enter the cadaver lab. Numerous students have written of the emotional response they have had in the lab. Between 5 and 7 percent of cadaver lab participants have reported experiencing recurrent images of […]

As clinical medicine, including field medicine, has advanced and become more technological, students and instructors have faced nuanced challenges. Namely, does technology such as virtual simulation offer more benefit to those learning human anatomy than cadaver training? The argument for VR instruction has been strong. However, when we listen to students themselves, we gain clarity regarding the unparalleled value of donated human cadavers in all areas of medicine. Here, we’ll briefly discuss how an experiment performed at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas (AFNS) supports this training modality.

The cadaver lab experiment took place in 2016 in the Sustainment for Trauma and Resuscitation Skills Program, overseen at that time by Staff Sgt. Reginald Gilchrist. When conducting the program, Gilchrist explained the reasoning for cadaver-use in this way. He stated, “The high fidelity medical simulators we utilize during the course are some of the most advanced on the market, but still do not compare to working on cadavers.” 

Multiple bodies of research have confirmed the benefits of cadaver labs for medical students, first-responders, and even medical device developers. Data from numerous studies and personal student accounts reflect the value of a controlled training environment. Students learning how to address human conditions, including traumatic injury, experience a gamut of emotions. Is it not better for them to do so in a safe place using a cadaver than in a critical situation? 

In this way, virtual simulations simply cannot compare to the real-life scenarios faced by those on battle-fields and the streets, in which appropriate care is a life-or-death reaction.

When interviewed about the military cadaver lab in San Antonio, Gilchrist summed it up poignantly and directly, stating that, outside of working in a trauma unit, “most medics don’t get […]

The importance of clinical training is relevant to every area of medicine. While plastic surgery is largely perceived as “cosmetic” by the average consumer, it is much more. The plastic surgeon must have familiarity with deep planes of tissue, bone, fascia, nerves, and other structures of the face and body. While we have witnessed dramatic shifts in the education of new surgeons, we have yet to see an alternative to cadaver training. The reason is simple, the objectives of surgical training are better met when the anatomical specimen closely resembles an operative specimen.
The Value of Cadavers in Plastic Surgery Training
Plastic surgery is the repair or reconstruction of one or more parts of the face or body. Plastic surgeons may perform many rejuvenating procedures, such as facelift surgery. However, they also treat women who have undergone mastectomy surgery. They repair tissue that has been badly damaged in a traumatic event, such as a fire or dog attack. Some plastic surgeons are extending their technical skills into the area of transplant surgeries. The work performed by a plastic surgeon, then, dramatically affects their patients’ quality of life.

The success that plastic surgeons have achieved to date has been largely attributed to working with cadavers. This is a logical perspective, seeing that the basis of most plastic surgery procedures is to reposition tissue from one area to another. To fully understand the three-dimensional relationship of anatomical structures, a surgeon needs a lifelike model, and there is no model like the human body. In this way, cadavers play an integral role in the success of plastic surgery procedures. They are also a partner in building surgical confidence in a safe, controlled environment.

We’ve all heard unfortunate stories of botched plastic […]