Developing a virtual microscopy laboratory manual to help teach histology in resource‐challenged African medical schools (725.14)

Background: Providing basic science practical laboratory experiences can be problematic especially for new medical schools and in resource challenged schools from less developed parts of the world. The microscopes and glass slide sets needed for robust laboratory sessions are often difficult to procure and to maintain. Virtual Microscopy (VM) can facilitate the teaching of histology, histopathology, microbiology, and other microscopy‐based subjects using a computer based delivery platform. We have developed a VM Histology Laboratory Manual that can be used by students as part of their histology curriculum in medical schools with minimal resources. Design: The UAB histology teaching program has developed a histology laboratory manual that students use as a guide in our histology curriculum. We scanned the histology glass slide collection and incorporated links to these VM slide files into our histology laboratory manual. The PDF of the manual with the VM slide links was locked as a read‐only file and along with the VM slide files was loaded onto inexpensive 64 GB thumb drives. The thumb drives containing the laboratory manual and VM slides, along with the free VM slide viewer, can be used by medical students as a histology teaching resource even in the absence of internet access. Conclusion: Repurposing existing teaching materials utilizing VM technology can provide an inexpensive user‐friendly option for resource challenged African medical schools.