In life there are plenty of awkward moments, but medical school seems to have more than it's fair share.
During our second year, we are introduced to three clinical procedures, that we then perform. Two of which are practiced on standardized patients, the breast and gynecologic exam and the other one is on unsuspecting urology clinic patients, the DRE, digital rectal exam.
First of all, I am not sure why or how these three are chosen as the ones to practice on standardized patients out of all of the procedures that we have to learn. It might be because they are awkward and they (whoever makes the final decisions) want us to feel more comfortable with them before we do them on actual patients. Well this could be true for the first two procedures that I mentioned, but not the third. From the patients perspective, I can think of hundreds of procedures that I would want medical students to practice before performing it on me for the first time ever, but I didn't make the rules.
Recently, we started this new afternoon class, Introduction to Clinical Medicine or ICM for short (in medicine everything has an abbreviation). On the first hour of the first day of this new class, even before the hour long course introduction, we are informed that we will first be hearing from two physician. Who then tell us that we will first start with a video. They start messing with the audio video equipment, but they are having a hell of a time trying to get the video to play. Just so you know this is a recurring them with tons of our classes. My bet, their difficulty is due the fact that they are working with a VHS tape. Really?
To set the scene for what happens next, it is important to understand the room that we are in. It is this tiny auditorium that barely holds all of us, which there are a few over a hundred. The ceiling is low making it seem even smaller, it is hot and noisy. The screen which is about 10x10 and covering most of the front wall, is only a few feet from the front row. Which I, luckily (insert sarcasm here) got there a little late and had to sit on the second row. So practically sitting on the screen, packed like sardines with my classmates, we wait for the video to begin.
Eventually they get it starting and...BAM.... THERE IS A GIGANTIC 10x10 PENIS STARING US IN THE FACES. And then the physician in the video begins to examen it. There is this long awkward pause because no one knows how to react, the physicians are scuffing about trying to start the video at the beginning, when we ALL erupt into giggles, professional right? But what else do you do, we had not even been told what the video was about before they started it. Who would have guessed an enormous penis, well I mean the male genital exam.I can't even begin to express how colleagues it felt. As one of my classmates later put it, " it was like watching a porn video with ALL of your colleagues and professors, just not something you do".
They finally got it started from the beginning, which had a lovely introduction to what the video would entail before showing any genitalia. To note, I don't find anything funny about the male genital exam, it is merely the way in which it was introduced to us, that wow... I will probably never forget.
There was yet another surprise they had in store for all of us. They hadn't planned it as a surprise, we just had no idea it was coming. After the video and a brief explanation, we are told that a sign up sheet will be passed around, so that we can all sign up for the day that we do the DRE, digital rectal exam.
Still not funny, but WOW I had not woken up that morning planning that I would be picking the day for the first time I would be putting my finger up someone's butt. Only one word, UNEXPECTED. The day that I actually went to the urology clinic to do this is a whole other story that I will share at some point.
Lesley
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