"I just realized that something happened to me today" - An innovative educational approach to support students in dealing with the dissection course, death and dying.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The dissection course is an essential part of preclinical medical education. At the Medical Faculty of Duesseldorf, a required elective course has been developed over three semesters with the aim of encouraging students to reflect on their experiences in the dissection course and offering them support in dealing with aspects of death and dying. The aim of this paper is to present this educational approach and the student evaluations.

METHODS AND RESULTS: The educational concept follows a peer group approach and is comprised of several components spanning three semesters: introductory lectures, tours of the dissection hall and clinical wards, an online diary, and reflection groups. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation has shown that students rate the course positively as to its benefits and workload. While all of the components should be retained, students do wish more time to visit sites and engage with professionals in connection with death and dying.

DISCUSSION: This strategy could serve as a cornerstone for longitudinal training to promote adequate coverage of topics such as death and dying. The course has a reasonable cost-benefit ratio. When transferring it to another setting, a gratification system should be considered.