Well, I have made it through the first two weeks of school and there is no end in sight. The pace at which they throw information at you is ungodly and I still leave school everyday overwhelmed and surprised.
I had my first two tests earlier this week and did really well on one and really crappy on the other. So I am already meeting with my advisor for help. Way to start off on the right foot!
I have gotten much more comfortable in the anatomy lab, you really have no choice but to as we are in there 3 days a week. There is no time to feel bad or sad you have so much to do in such a limited time. And I realized after this week that I will probably have to go in on weekends on my own time to really learn the anatomy, 3 days a week is not enough to learn where all the muscles, bones, nerves (which are a nightmare, because every body is different and they look nothing like the drawings in the book) and vessels and arteries are! I don't think I will ever get used to the smell and am counting the days to October 21st when it is over.
We had our first lab in Osteopathic manipulation medicine this week to. For those of you who don't know about it, it is using your hands to touch, feel and palpate muscles, tissues, bones, organs, etc... to diagnose abnormalities and can also be used as treatment in some instances as an alternative or addition to drugs or surgery. Similar to physical therapy. It is a bit uncomfortable because we are all in a room in shorts and shirtless, girls are allowed to wear a bra obviously, and then you are feeling other people up basically. My partner is a wanna be meat head who talks to himself. He is very nice but kept flexing and tensing his muscles as I was trying to identify the bones of his neck and spine. AWKWARD!! It was nearly impossible and I really don't know what the Hell I am doing anyways. I guess I have 3 people at home that I can torture so hopefully that will help.
That is about as good as it gets for me, I am excited for Jen to come so I can blow off school for a couple of days!
9 comments:
Wow! What a trip...I applaud your courage and wide eyed view of your journey. Thanks so much for sharing as you do. Love you Angie...
Well, besides the fact that I think you incredible for doing this a couple of things come to mind.
I'm sure you have heard this by now, but I have had several people say to put a little Vicks under your nose when you go in to the lab. I don't know if it really works, or if you now have 2 horrific odors to deal with.
I think that is really a cheap trick that they make the pictures in anatomy books so colorful, and the nerves and such look so pretty! What is the point if they don't look like that in real life? (Or death as the case may be).
I love the snippet about your meat head partner. There was a guy at work yesterday that was saying he hates when a female touches his arm or shoulder because if he isn't expecting it, he doesn't have time to flex! This guy isn't even one of the workout boys. ;-}
Sounds like Nate and the girls are going to get some awesome massage-like action! I'm jealous
I don't know if it could be an enjoyable massage like action yet. It will probably consist of me digging the hell out of them trying to find some of these anatomical landmarks!
I thought about doing the vicks but after you are in the lab for 5 or 10 minutes it is not as noticeable unless you are digging around with your face really close to the cadaver (lovely thought isn't it). I forgot a pony tail elastic the other day and after poking around for an elusive shoulder nerve one of my lab partners said, "You are definately going to want to wash your hair when you get home."
The smell really lingers on your clothes and body though. We have been told that if we have other labs or classes after anatomy lab it is mandatory to change into clean clothes so as not to spread the stench into other floors and rooms of the building!
That is straight up fowl....about the meat head! And the odor sucks too!
I think that I would be cutting my hair if I were you! That just sounds nasty.
Are you allowed to wear something like scrubs in the lab?
It would seem like you would want to wear something that you could just destroy at the end.
There is a mandatory professional dress code in the building at all times. We do get to wear lab coats over our clothes in the lab though. The only exception to the dress code is when we are half naked in the manipulative medicine lab!
Sounds like your second week was better than your first. I'm glad that you're surviving! When you get to put the word Dr. in front of your name, it'll all be worth it!
Now Anj from other comments you said a strict dress code was enforced. I guess I need to be young again as shorts and bras sound okay to me.
As far as the labs are concerned you just have to depersonalize everything. Like it's not a body just a learning exercise. See past the corpse and focus on how this is a means for you to help someone else become well.
Post a Comment