04 April 2006

To be a professor . . .

Today we had a surreal experience. I think it was an island experience, but one cannot be too sure. We have a master schedule detailing when and where all our classes, labs and small-groups (but not Clinical Skills classes!) will be held. Today we were scheduled for four hours of class: two hours of anatomy followed by two hours of embryology.

I know many of you are thinking privately, "Wow. Four hours of class! How exciting is that. Plus, he had anatomy lab this morning and was dissecting poor Newton's head for two additional hours of fun. And, he forgot to mention this, but I knew he was really excited to have gone to see a professor in his office hours before anatomy lab even started to answer at least ten questions that he had and some friends had come up with the night before regarding the COX-I and COX-II pathways in platelets and endothelial cells. I wish I could have a sweet day like that!"

Well, then one can imagine my surprise when after completing only one hour of lecture, our embryology professor decided that he would be "back tomorrow" for the second hour of the urogenital system. Any normal student would be upset just at the thought. Break up the urogenital system? Be still, my heart! I must know now!"

He must know something to which we were not privy. And so, while checking out a skull (we can check out human skulls . . . I know you're jealous!), we asked one of the other embryology professors, "Why the change?" To which he responds, "What change?"
- "On our schedule, we have two hours of embryo today, and none on Wednesday."
- "Not on the schedule on my desk. That's not what it says."
- "Well, when were you going to inform us of the change?"
- "C'mon guys, the schedule on my desk says, 'One Tuesday, one Wednesday and one Thursday.' You should know this!"

To which one of my friends was dying to respond, "But Professor B., when is my flight out of Grenada? I mean, the ticket is on my desk, don't you know? Why didn't you find out?" The thing is, the professor was serious. He genuinely did not understand why we were confused about the whole prospect. After further review, this was most definitely an island experience!

In other news, I was, in fact, a professor myself today. We had a teaching clinic on how to start IVs. I'm particularly proud of my occasional ability to find a vein while working at St. Mike's (and have caused the ordering of pizza and Taco Bell ... you know you did well when the reward was a Mexican Pizza ... on more than one instance from a certain doctor), and so was happy to have the opportunity to teach what I've learned to my fellow students.

It was an interesting experience. I am trying hard to remember how I ever learned how to do something so difficult. Or maybe it just looks difficult the first time. I volunteered myself in order to stick someone (I've been dying since I got here!) and, of course my luck, the guy with the least veins and, ahem....biggest, arms steps forward and volunteers. I found a vein to try, had the group feel it themselves and everyone says, "I don't know, isn't that a little small. I can't see it. Are you sure it's there?"

Oh great, what if I miss trying to demonstrate?? Well, thankfully I got it, but it was definitely a hard-stick. After everyone went through, one observation: Does everyone so timidly start their first IV? They barely got the needle into the skin and then stopped with the entire catheter still sticking out. Was I like that when I first started? All I can remember is not having to use the fake-arm (don't tell my boss) because of my willingness to work the night-shift. To all the arms I must have stuck while learning: "I'm sorry and thank you! I'm so glad to have learned it earlier and not have to learn by trying once a month while in Grenada!"

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