The Day I Cut Myself
9:03 AM
This morning, as I walked downstairs after my class in family and community medicine, I stumbled to those students clustering in the lobby of our college and it seemed there is an assembly ongoing. Some are puzzled, some are amused while others are curious about a plasticized cadaver which I’ve never seen in my anatomy classes before. Beside the dead body was a wide touchscreen virtual educational equipment which almost caught everyone’s attention especially the freshmen. You can see the awe in their eyes as they explore virtual slices of MRI and CT scans. I began to tell my envious self, “These freshmen are very lucky”. The excitement to learning the human body is now more convinient and easy. However, those assumptions faded after hearing it was just a product showcase.
** this is a plasticized cadaver that would make studying fun, easy and no formalin scent.
** Freshmen med students listening attentively to lecturer :) Hopefullly these technologies will be available to MMSU-COM soon :)
While I was busy staring and remembering those colic vessels of the cadaver and listening to the trivia and segues of the advertiser, I remembered an unforgettable moment in my first year as a medical student. This retrospect was an experience I never shared with everyone –that was the day I cut myself. LOL
In my undergraduate program, one of the requirements to graduate is passing comparative anatomy in my third year, which included a stressful cat dissection. That was the time I started to appreciate anatomy and was my first time to smell formalin. I struggled really hard in that subject. I remember those times we had to extend hours at night to remove those fascias and identify every important structure because practical exams were very serious.
Incidents are inevitable sometimes, I remember a classmate which was cut by a scalpel on her thigh because she forgot how sharp a 10-blade can be. She needed to go to infirmary for a first aid because blood started to paint her pants. At that moment, fear of cutting myself manifested in me and I am losing control and focus sometimes whenever I cut tissues until now.
Anatomy in medschool is not enough if we limit ourselves only to Netter or Gray’s atlases. I expected worse in cadaver than a cat dissection. At first I thought I cannot handle the situation but I needed to do it. We would wear double masks, double gloves, some wore goggles, lab gowns and caps. I needed to be extra careful with blades because I haven’t had my Hepa B second and third shots yet, the risk of acquiring is high if I get cut. We no longer cut lower forms of life, we deal with real people. That’s why I am always reminded to be very careful, respectful and meticulous everytime I hand a scalpel and a forcep with me. I dwell to books trying to memorize and picture in my mind the structures.
After dissections, it is on these times that we needed time for ourselves to unwind. One time we went to my friend’s house and prepared pasta and chicken for lunch. But that day was the day I was taught something by a dull knife. The day that revealed a realization that I never imagined will come across me. I cut myself with that dull knife while cutting onion. It was too painful not because of the cut but because of the idea that I never had cut myself in any dissection sessions before. I thought I was good enough by then, I thought I was too careful but I was wrong. That very basic cutting of onion was a reminder to myself .
Med school is a very complicated and perfectionist training, you will study almost every word of books, it will take almost all your time, it will require all your energy but we must not forget the very basic of life, I know how sharp a scalpel but at that day I cut myself because I forgot that a dull knife can still hurt me.
In my undergraduate program, one of the requirements to graduate is passing comparative anatomy in my third year, which included a stressful cat dissection. That was the time I started to appreciate anatomy and was my first time to smell formalin. I struggled really hard in that subject. I remember those times we had to extend hours at night to remove those fascias and identify every important structure because practical exams were very serious.
Incidents are inevitable sometimes, I remember a classmate which was cut by a scalpel on her thigh because she forgot how sharp a 10-blade can be. She needed to go to infirmary for a first aid because blood started to paint her pants. At that moment, fear of cutting myself manifested in me and I am losing control and focus sometimes whenever I cut tissues until now.
Anatomy in medschool is not enough if we limit ourselves only to Netter or Gray’s atlases. I expected worse in cadaver than a cat dissection. At first I thought I cannot handle the situation but I needed to do it. We would wear double masks, double gloves, some wore goggles, lab gowns and caps. I needed to be extra careful with blades because I haven’t had my Hepa B second and third shots yet, the risk of acquiring is high if I get cut. We no longer cut lower forms of life, we deal with real people. That’s why I am always reminded to be very careful, respectful and meticulous everytime I hand a scalpel and a forcep with me. I dwell to books trying to memorize and picture in my mind the structures.
After dissections, it is on these times that we needed time for ourselves to unwind. One time we went to my friend’s house and prepared pasta and chicken for lunch. But that day was the day I was taught something by a dull knife. The day that revealed a realization that I never imagined will come across me. I cut myself with that dull knife while cutting onion. It was too painful not because of the cut but because of the idea that I never had cut myself in any dissection sessions before. I thought I was good enough by then, I thought I was too careful but I was wrong. That very basic cutting of onion was a reminder to myself .
Med school is a very complicated and perfectionist training, you will study almost every word of books, it will take almost all your time, it will require all your energy but we must not forget the very basic of life, I know how sharp a scalpel but at that day I cut myself because I forgot that a dull knife can still hurt me.
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