Useful links
Unit of study_
SURG5028: Thorax, Back, Spinal Cord by Dissection
2026 unit information
This is a face to face teaching course suitable for students planning or undertaking surgical training. The dissection covers all aspects of the thorax, including body wall, thoracic wall, diaphragm, thoracic cavity, superior, anterior, middle and posterior mediastinum, pleura, lungs, heart, oesophagus, and osteology of thorax. This is a face-to-face teaching course suitable for students planning or undertaking surgical training. The dissection covers all aspects of the thorax, including body wall, pectoral region and breasts, thoracic wall, diaphragm, thoracic cavity, superior, anterior, middle and posterior mediastinum, pleura, lungs, heart, oesophagus, muscles of the back, and spinal cord, including osteology of thorax and vertebral column. Teaching primarily occurs on the weekend (Saturday or Sunday) as workshops, complemented by online resources. Candidates dissect in supervised groups, according to a strict daily dissection schedule, utilising team-based learning (TBL) methods. Throughout this course there is a strong emphasis on surgical anatomy by dissection. Supervision is by anatomists and/or specialist surgeons, and surgical registrars. All candidates are given allotted tasks to prepare for class prior to dissection. The student is expected to have read and learnt the appropriate texts before coming to class. There are ongoing SCORPIOs carried out during the dissection, with opportunity for revision and practice assessments. Teaching can be modified depending on the student’s experience and interest. At the end of each module there is a summative examination.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Surgery |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
None |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
None |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
|
This course is recommended for students who are preparing or have completed the GSSE or for a SET program. |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Develop a detailed knowledge and understanding of the five regions of the body
- LO2. Recognise and explain all common and important characteristics of an anatomical structure
- LO3. Develop an understanding of key relationships and common variations of topographical regional anatomy which are important to surgeons in the management of patients in clinical and operating rooms
- LO4. Correlate clinically relevant regional anatomy with core systematic anatomy of surgical importance
- LO5. Interpret transition regions of the body and sectional anatomy regions of the body using modern imaging techniques
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 1 2025
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney | |
|
Semester 2 2025
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 2 2026
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
Find your current year census dates
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.