Application of the mind-mapping learning technique on the topic “Anatomy of the brachial plexus”

The issue of teaching brachial plexus anatomy to English-speaking foreign students remains confusing and uncoordinated these days because of significant differences in the presentation of materials in translated educational literature by Russian-speaking authors and in atlases, textbooks, and manuals used in other countries. This study aimed to analyze mind-mapping learning techniques and identify the advantages of their use when teaching “Brachial plexus anatomy” to foreign medical students. The materials included mind maps, textbooks, atlases, manuals, workshops, and workbooks on human anatomy for students of medical universities in Russian and English that describe the anatomy of the brachial plexus and personal experience of using mind maps. A mind map in human anatomy classes was provided in accordance with modern anatomical terminologies, discrepancies in the description of the anatomy of the brachial plexus in Russian and English were analyzed, and the advantages of their use in teaching foreign medical students were identified.