Eligibility 

The Montana Body Donation Program serves educational institutions that provide health science education in the state of Montana. We work with undergraduate, medical, and other graduate programs. If your students would benefit from direct study of the human body, you may request participation in a Donated Material Agreement via the linked documents below. Additionally, this page provides details about your responsibilities as a participating institution. Please read carefully and reach out to us with any questions.

Cadaver Request Form

To request one or more donors for your institution, you must first comple the 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 Usage Agreement is signed prior to exchange and 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. We do not guarantee approval of your request because we may not have sufficient donors to meet your needs, but we will always do our best to fill requests. 

Donor Pickup Process 

Once your request has been approved, we will schedule a date and time for donor pickup. MBDP does not provide transport to your institution, so you will need to arrange your own transportation. Additionally, we recommend you bring your own gurney with you as MBDP does not provide them.

Prior to your pickup, MBDP will send you an invoice that must be completed by the time of pickup. This invoice only covers MBDP’s cost of donor preparation. The Cadaver Exchange Agreement will be initiated shortly before or on the date of the scheduled pickup and must be completed prior to pickup. 

Donor Care

  1. Treat all donors with respect. This is our number one rule, and any disrespectful treatment of our donors will result in immediate termination of your partnership with MBDP.
  2. Perform appropriate dissections with trained personnel. Note that students, are allowed to dissect donors, but the expectation is that they are trained and supervised prior to attempting any dissection. MBDP recommends use of published standard dissection guides.
  3. Always maintain the anonymity of the donors. Do not display the face of the donors or any tattoos to students or any member of the public. Instructors may remove tattoos with the skin. Dissection of the face should only be conducted by a trained individual.
  4. Instructors, students, and laboratory personnel must not discuss identifying features of the donors in public spaces. For example, such spaces include but are not limited to elevators, coffee shops, and social media.
  5. Do not take any pictures or videos of donors or any biological material taken from a donor.
  6. Do not throw away any tissues that are removed from the donor during dissection such as skin and fascia. They must be kept on site and returned to MBDP when you are ready to return your donor(s). The exception is for approved specimen retention (see below).
  7. All tissues from one donor, even those tissues that have been removed, must be labeled and kept separate from another donor if you have more than one donor in your lab at a time. Do not mix tissues from multiple donors.
  8. Store your donors in the same manner you received them, i.e. wrapped in a bedsheet and occlusive plastic sheeting or a similarly appropriate method of storage (such as a body bag).
  9. At the end of laboratory sessions as well as when the donor is returned to the MBDP, place internal organs in their respective body cavities and return bones such as the calvaria and chest plate back in their original position in so far as possible. Do not place these items in the container of dissectied materials to be returned to MBDP.
  10. Consistently use wetting solution, particularly after donors are handled. This helps ensure that your donor’s tissues do not dry out. Wetting solution can be sprinkled or lightly poured directly on donor tissues. You are responsible for making and using wetting solution. Please reach out to MBDP if you need the recommended recipe. 

Donor Return & Replacement Request 

If you would like to retain your donor for more than one year, you must contact MBDP each year to request donor retention. You may be approved to keep your donor on site for 1-4 years. When it is time to return your donor(s), you can request donor replacement.

If you would like to request a new donor, use the same Cadaver Request Form that was used to request your initial donor. As with your initial request, please ensure that you complete this form as early as possible so we can meet as many requests as possible in a given year.

At the time of return, MBDP will check the condition of your donor(s) to ensure appropriate care. If a donor is returned in less than good condition, your ability to secure a new donor will be reassessed.

As with initial donor pickup, you are responsible for organizing transportation to and from our site to return your donor(s).

Specimen Retention

If you would like to retain a biological specimen at your site after you have returned your donor(s), you must complete the Retention Request Form. Retention of specimens must be clearly justified for educational purposes.  You will need to complete one form per donor that you are requesting to retain biological samples from. Please follow the Retention Request Guidelines when filling out this form.

Site Visit Form

For your request to be approved, you must show that you have adequate space and resources to care for your donor(s). MBDP has strict donor care and lab safety guidelines that you are responsible for following. To ensure that you are meeting expectations, MBDP may schedule periodic site visits to perform a site inspection. This Site Visit Form will be used during any site visit.

Safety Regulations in Lab and Rules for Cadaver Use

  1. Appropriate signage for the anatomy laboratory: No Admittance, Authorized Personnel Only, No Minors, No photography and the standard chemical safety signage available from Safety Risk Management.
  2. No food or drink is permitted in the lab.
  3. You are required to wear disposable gloves at all times while working with the donors. Donors are embalmed with a fluid containing propylene glycol, ethanol, phenol, and formaldehyde. Physical contact of your skin and clothing with the donor should be avoided.
  4. Wear old clothes/scrubs and a long-sleeved lab coat while working with the donor(s). Lab coats should not be worn outside of the lab. Shorts and tank tops are not permitted. Clothing must cover the legs and shoulders.
  5. No open-toed shoes or sandals are allowed in the lab. Wear shoes that cover your entire foot.
  6. Contact lenses wearers should be aware that chemical fumes can pass into gas permeable and soft lenses. These fumes irritate the cornea. Protective eyeglasses (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.
  7. Respirators can be purchased for use in the lab, if desired.

Required and Recommended Items for Lab 

  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. Containers for dispensing wetting solution
  8. Wetting solution ingredients: propylene glycol, liquid phenol, and ethanol (see below for the detailed wetting solution recipe)
  9. Dissecting kits containing: scalpel handle #4, scalpel blade #21 or #22, sharp probe, blunt probe, rat-tooth forceps, regular forceps, hemostat, dissecting scissors.
  10. Kits for cutting bone: bone saw, bone cutters, autopsy saw (if desired)
  11. Soap and paper towels for cleaning hands
  12. Disinfecting cleanser for cleaning tables
  13. White towels to keep the donors moist

  1. 18 gallon + waste container (Rubbermaid)
  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
  8. Gurney – for transporting your donors to and from MBDP and/or for storing your donor in your lab

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