title: The optical microscope--en route to extinction?
abstract: Change in medical curricula is a worldwide trend. Concomitant with this is a change in the role of the microscope and its contribution to a student's career. In this questionnaire-based study the perceptions of medical, dental and veterinary students to microscopy and alternative forms of histology tuition, as well as the role of microscopy in their future careers, was assessed. Veterinary students indicate a strong preference for the microscope and microscopy training due to the importance of the microscope in their chosen career, whilst medical and dental students are somewhat ambivalent. However, the students would not choose to eliminate the microscope entirely from their studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa. prichard@medic.up.ac.za
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Coetzee
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Soley
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004520:Education, Veterinary; D006653:Histology; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000639:trends*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013335:Students, Dental; D013337:Students, Medical