Thanks for your Interest in the MBDP!

The Montana Anatomical Education Consortium (MAEC) was formed to promote the cooperation and exchange of expertise among the anatomy professors across Montana.  The MAEC is a network of individuals who use cadavers to teach anatomy in professional schools and pre-professional programs. The purpose of the consortium is to promote health sciences education in Montana by sharing information and resources for anatomy teaching. Membership is open to all anatomy educators in those venues and there is no charge.

 

The MAEC is affiliated with the Montana Body Donation Program (MBDP) because of the special requirements of anatomy educators to obtain high quality anatomical materials, prosections, or dissections for their teaching needs. The professional skills and ethics of anatomists are different from those required in other fields of biomedical instruction.  Anatomists need to maintain an educationally effective, secure, safety-conscious and respectful laboratory teaching environment.  This is a complex task that can be greatly facilitated by sharing experience, new ideas, and resources between different programs.

The MAEC web page provides information for establishing or maintaining an effective anatomy teaching program that uses cadavers.

 Topics include:

• Cadaver procurement procedures
• Laboratory security and safety standards
• Cadaver maintenance procedures
• Suggested educational resources—texts, dissectors, and atlases

Education is the purpose of this program. We are available to help you in different aspects of anatomy education, from helping you obtain cadavers for training students to providing suggestions on use of cadavers in the laboratory. The goals are that the MAEC will be a helpful to new and growing programs, and foster cooperation and exchange of expertise among the established anatomy programs in Montana.

Cadaver Request Form

This form should be used when requesting an additional or replacement cadaver for your program. This form contains the Anatomical Materials Agreement that you must sign before you can receive a cadaver. The Anatomical Materials Agreement is a contract and must be followed to ensure your continued procurement of cadavers from the MBDP.

We appreciate at least 6 months (preferably a year or more) notice of a cadaver request.

Site Visit Form

This form will be used by our staff when an anatomical materials site inspection is conducted. This form is used to determine if the Anatomical Materials Agreement is being followed. You will be notified in advance if a site visit is planned for your facility.

Required Items:

#1. First Aid kit

#2. Eye Wash Station/kit in lab or in hall

#3. Sharps container

#4. Periodic monitoring of air quality by Safety Risk Management

#5. Lab coats or plastic aprons and gloves

#6. Safety glasses, required when cutting bone

#7. Spray bottles containing wetting solution

#8. Dissecting kits containing surgical quality instruments: scalpel handle #4, scalpel blade #21 or #22, sharp probe, blunt probe, rat-tooth forceps, regular forceps, hemostat, dissecting scissors.

#9. Kits for cutting bone: bone saw, bone cutters, rib cutters, autopsy saw (if desired)

#10. Soap and paper towels for cleaning hands

#11. Scrub Free for cleaning tables

#12. Cotton towels to keep the cadavers moist

 

Recommended Items :

#1. 18 gallon + waste container (Rubbermaid) for soft tissue

#2. 35 gallon + heavy gauge garbage bags to line storage container

#3. Small container to collect soft tissue as you dissect (e.g. emesis basin)

#4. Respirator masks for those requiring or desiring additional protection

#5. Eye wear (prescription glasses or protective plastic glasses) for those desiring additional protection

#6. Pig Mats for absorbing chemical spills

#7.  Proper lighting—lamps adjustable for distance and angle

Anatomy Laboratories require specific rules and physical configurations to provide for 1) security of the human material and 2) safety for students and faculty. Cadavers are donated to MSU according to state regulations.  Persons donating their body receive no financial compensation; this is truly their ultimate gift.  Hence it is imperative that proper respect be paid to the cadaver at all times.

1. You are required to wear disposable gloves at all times while working with the
 cadaver prosections. Cadavers are embalmed with a fluid containing propylene
 glycol, ethyl alcohol, phenol and formaldehyde. Physical contact of your skin
 and clothing with the cadaver should be avoided.
2. Wear old clothes/scrubs and a long-sleeved lab coat while working with the
cadaver. Lab coats should not be worn outside of the lab.
 3. No open-toed shoes or sandals are allowed in the lab. Wear shoes that cover your
 entire foot.

 4. Contact lenses wearers should be aware that chemical fumes can pass into gas
 permeable and soft lenses. These fumes irritate the cornea. Protective eye glasses
 (prescription or safety glasses) are recommended to protect against chemical
 splashes. Safety eyewear must be used when cutting bone. Know the location of
the eyewash station before you begin.
 5. Respirators can be purchased for use in the lab, if desired.