The Benefits of Near-Peer Teaching Assistants in the Anatomy and Physiology Lab: An Instructor and a Student's Perspective on a Novel Experience

Near-peer teaching, in which students one or more years removed from a student within the same academic program, is utilized broadly in medical school curricula and increasingly in undergraduate anatomy and physiology courses. While the literature on near-peer teaching suggests that the practice is overwhelmingly positive, it is primarily from anatomy courses in a medical school setting. Therefore, instructors who implement near-peer programs at the undergraduate level should share their experiences and evaluate these programs on an ongoing basis. The purpose of this paper is to share a personal experience with utilizing undergraduates as teaching assistants in the anatomy and physiology laboratory setting. A detailed description of the near-peer experience is first provided, followed by the observed benefits for everyone involved from both the instructor and a near-peer's perspective. Finally, recommendations are made for implementing a near-peer program with future directions for research into evaluating outcomes of a near-peer program.