"The tactile realness of 'life' is hitting me in the face": Unprompted student reflections of dissection using formalin- and Thiel-embalmed donors.

There is a wide variety of preservation techniques available, and anatomy departments can select an embalming method(s) that best suits their course outcomes. Thiel embalming is becoming popular due to the life-like color and flexibility it provides tissue. This study examined student-perceived impact of learning anatomy by dissecting Thiel-embalmed donors compared with formalin-embalmed donors, and evaluated the reflective learning portfolios of postgraduate anatomy students' over two different cohorts. The first cohort studied limb and back anatomy using formalin-embalmed donors, and afterward studied trunk anatomy using Thiel-embalmed donors. In the second cohort, the embalming methods (but not topics) were exchanged. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three themes: Comparison to formalin, Authenticity, and Approaches to Learning. The color and flexibility of Thiel tissues supported students to connect their anatomy learning to their future clinical practice; however, the same flexibility sometimes hindered student learning due to visceral structures losing their anatomical shape. Exposure to a different embalming method sparked reflections from more students in both cohorts, but more so from students who transitioned from formalin to Thiel. These same students felt the donor was rehumanized, prompting them to reflect on the importance of teamwork to support each other both academically and emotionally. This was not seen in students transitioning from Thiel to formalin, indicating that the order of exposure has importance. Educators should weigh up the advantages of using different embalming methods alongside their learning objectives and, if switching between embalming methods, should consider the impact that the sequence may have on student learning.