Presented By: Nicole Johnson, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Co-Authors: Sara Allison, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Amy Gyorkos, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Laura Scheid-Cobb, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Jade Woodcock, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine

Purpose
Anatomy is a fundamental aspect of medical education; however, the large volume of structures to learn presents a challenge for many students and the best instructional methods are still highly debated. Recently, gamification has been shown to boost student engagement and comprehension and introduce an element of fun and competition that increases student motivation. The current study aims to utilize an educational escape room in the novel context of a medical school musculoskeletal (MSK) gross anatomy lab and investigate student perceptions of the event.

Methods 
The 1-hour educational escape room takes place in the final week of the MSK course. During this event, 84 first year medical students work in groups of 3-4 to complete a series of puzzles related to the gross anatomy content covered throughout the course. Examples of these puzzles include matching nerve injuries to sensory deficits, matching radiographs to associated named fractures, and identifying structures on cadaveric specimens. Students then complete a survey related to their perceptions of the escape room. Descriptive statistics will be used to illustrate quantitative findings. Qualitative data will be analyzed by creating codes and reporting frequencies of student responses.

Results 
Data is collected during the MSK course. The results of the study demonstrate student perceptions related to the timing of the event, strengths and weaknesses of the event, content covered, group dynamics, student engagement, and metacognitive impacts.

Conclusion 
This study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing an educational escape room as a review event for an MSK cadaveric gross anatomy lab. Additionally, it reveals how students perceive different aspects of the escape room and provides insight for other educators as they build similar events in their curriculum.