I like to think that I am a pretty NORMAL individual (if such a thing exists). School will definitely challenge this idea and cause you to do some major reassessing, re-evaluating, and self-introspection. Now, this one class, duly noted as Gross Anatomy, has become the forefront of this “What am I doing with my life?” peril. I will use this time to explain why/how it manages to do this.
For starters, GROSS is partially an understatement. Fortunately, I for one do not have a weak stomach nor am I a self-proclaimed member of the “faint of heart” crew. However, gross lab is still gross. I have a phobia of smelling badly, but it is impossible to prevent this during gross lab. Hours after leaving gross lab the smell is trapped in my nostrils and randomly pops up in my nose at VERY undesirable times i.e. when I am eating (this is probably due to some neuroscience/olfactory nerve phenom that I am currently not up to speed with). Not to mention that many of my classmates do not wash their lab coats, so they tend to smell and look like……well there is no better way to say it…..the remnants of bodies full of formaldehyde, excess fat (your worse nightmare in gross anatomy!!!), and the remainders of what has not been probed nor scalped out (I actually have a fondness for the scalpel……deep sigh). This reminds me, if you are reading this and you are not in medical school yet, the day you get your gross anatomy cadaver, if you open that body and it’s larger than necessary, RUUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!! DO NOT be an OVERachiever!! It is not worth it!!!! You do not get EXTRA points for having EXTRA body mass!! Sabotage or con another group into trading or something! (As a disclaimer, I am not a proponent of disorderly conduct, but you have to do what you have to do!)
The next aspect of gross anatomy that makes it GROSS is the amount of information that you are expected to learn. It takes soooo many hours of dedication (we already do not have that many in medical school) in order to learn or master the information in Gross anatomy. Not only are you expected to learn and perform in lab, but you still have to attend lecture. It is just shy of what some (including myself) would call misery. Now, I have been informed that some medical schools have bodies that are already dissected, but that is not my story or experience. Eventually you come to the realization of the fact that there is no way to know every single detail (unless you live under Fraggle rock of course and never come from under) and you just look for those high yield points. This is not to dissuade anyone from trying to know everything from a Netter plate or a Moore textbook—better you than me.
Last is a weird admission of my Gross Anatomy experience. Initially I thought that I was the only unfortunate sufferer until I actually spoke with a number of my classmates who suffered from the same side effect. I would like to call it the “I wasn’t Hungry until I got to Gross Anatomy….Eeel Syndrome.” For some odd reason (maybe that scalpel and probe expend a great amount of ATP), I am always hungry around these dead bodies! I promise you I am not one who eats dead bodies (I fear prion diseases!!) and I am nooooowhere near being a necrophile, but it is something about that cadaver that throws my hormones off balance. One hour into it, I just want to eat something! The irony is that nothing on that table is mouth watering nor is this uncooked meat anything close to looking delicious. Most of us would not even consider eating in gross lab (My gross professor has bragged about the many nights spent eating dinner in gross lab…..awkwarrrrrrd).
Fortunately, my gross anatomy days are coming to an end. I was once excited about it, but now I am tired of it. Some of my classmates may still possess that zest, but from my seat, the thrill is gone!!! I just want to wear regular clothes and not to have to worry about going home to immediately shower due to fear that the formaldehyde or anything else I was exposed to in lab may penetrate my skin and result in some unwanted rash or skin problem that as a medical student, I DO NOT have time to go to the doctor’s office to figure out what’s going on! Soon, I will be laying gross anatomy to rest—that’s a double entendre for your triple entendre!!
With utmost appreciation,
Best wishes in your endeavors,
Student Dr. Glawson
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