The MSc helped me to discover a love of teaching and now I'm an Anatomy Lecturer

What did you enjoy most about your degree?

The incredible opportunity to perform a complete dissection of a human cadaver was the element of my masters degree that I enjoyed the most. Two days per week, we were given time in the dissection room to independently dissect the anatomical structures we had focused on in classes that week. Observing the beautiful intricacy of the human body felt like a privilege and it cemented my fascination with anatomy.

How has your degree helped you in your career? 

My MSc in Human Anatomy with Education gave me so many invaluable skills that I needed for a career in academia. I gained hands-on teaching experience and was encouraged to continually reflect on my teaching progress throughout the year. This reflective practise was key to being awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, which is now often compulsory for academic teaching positions. The action research project that I completed towards the end of my masters degree also prepared me well to begin conducting educational research. 

What scientific skills did you develop during your course?

I developed both qualitative and quantitative research skills whilst completing my action research project. For example, I employed qualitative techniques, such as thematic analysis, to analyse responses to open-ended questions and performed numerous quantitative analyses of responses to Likert-style questions. I also feel that my scientific communication skills greatly improved through my teaching practise, enabling me to go on to confidently present my research at conference meetings.

What transferable skills did you develop during your course? 

My confidence in public speaking improved immensely because I was required to teach the content I was learning each week. I also improved my ability to apply survey-based research methods and contextualising findings within the existing literature. Finally, through studying on this course I recognised the importance of peer collaboration. Working closely with my peers on this course has paved the way for research collaborations since I graduated.

What would you say to a prospective student considering studying MSc Human Anatomy with Education? 

I would encourage anyone who wants to study anatomy, but is unsure about the teaching element of the course, to still consider applying. Teaching is certainly not a career I envisioned for myself. However, being required to teach on this masters course had so many benefits for me: my confidence greatly improved, my anatomy knowledge grew rapidly, and I discovered a career I would never have considered otherwise. 

What are you doing now and how did you get into that role?

Since I left Sheffield in 2019, I have taught anatomy at two higher education institutions. First, I moved to Ireland to work as an anatomy demonstrator at Trinity College Dublin. In this role, I taught anatomy on a wide variety of courses through cadaveric dissection. This position gave me lots of hands-on teaching practice and provided me with enough experience to secure an anatomy lectureship at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. In this role, I teach anatomy to undergraduate medical, biomedical, and neuroscience students, as well as postgraduate physician associate students. This position has given me the opportunity to teach anatomy through lectures, small-group tutorials, and practical teaching such as ultrasound scanning. I also contribute to research within medical/anatomical education, with one of these outputs currently a top-cited article in the Journal of Anatomical Sciences Education. Soon, I am also planning to commence a doctoral research project on the emotional impact of human cadaveric dissection on students studying anatomy.

What do you miss most about Sheffield? 

Having now moved to the south of the country, I am missing all that the north has to offer! I miss being so close to the Peak District National Park, amazing pies, Henderson’s Relish, and the cheaper pints. I also miss having daily lunches with my course mates from the variety of great catering options available at the Student’s Union. The hills on the other hand, I am glad to have left behind!