Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Anatomy Lesson

I skinned a man. Strange as it sounds, it felt more natural than I expected.
Fresh off winter break, we first-year medical students were slated for our first two days in the anatomy lab: Thursday would be orientation. Friday (gulp), dissecting a human body. The professor ran us through the ground rules—no music, no food, utmost respect for the cadavers. If we want extra study time, he assured us, the lab is open 24 hours a day. I can’t imagine any place I’d less like to be in the dead of night than in a room full of half-dissected bodies.
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/29/doctor-in-training-anatomy-lesson/#ixzz2JPxFBagA


And here is my previous Doctor-in-Training essay, which I neglected to post, about taking my first medical history from a real patient: http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/26/reality-strikes-a-doctor-in-training-encounters-her-first-patient/