I started up my internship at the ETSU Patient Simulation Lab yesterday. . .
I honestly don't know where to start, or how to talk about everything I've experienced so far. But I'll do my best to describe some of the better experiences.
We started off yesterday with a small orientation. It was really basic and we just looked at the calendar and discussed what we would be doing throughout the summer. Right from the start, I knew the internship was going to be awesome: The calendar was filled with multiple opportunities to observe and learn from physicians. For the summer, we will be helping prepare cadavers for medical students, assisting in running a camp for high schoolers interested in medicine, listening in on lectures by various physicians, and much more.
Orientation was fine, but unremarkable. After about an hour, our program coordinator told us we could either leave or go down to the Gross Anatomy Lab and work with cadavers.
I knew I couldn't simply leave, and I was really excited about working with the cadavers (as weird as that may sound to some people), but I was apprehensive nonetheless. Before we went into the lab, our coordinator kept reminding us to sit down if we felt light-headed or dizzy. I wasn't really sure how I would react to the bodies, and I could feel myself getting more nervous as we approached the lab.
As we stepped into the lab, however, I suddenly didn't feel as nervous. It's still a little bit surreal to me, but I actually felt more calm and comfortable once we got into the lab with the bodies. We all put gloves on and grabbed our tools (scalpels, hemostats, scissors, etc.).
Before I go any further, I should talk a little about the "cadaver experience." In my opinion, there is no way to get around the fact that cutting up a dead human body is a bit creepy. Let's face it, if someone didn't feel a little weird while they were working with a cadaver, that would be really creepy. Ultimately, you simply have to come to grips with the fact that all of the bodies in the lab belonged to someone.
But something weird happens when you start working with bodies. You learn to dissociate yourself from the cadaver. So while I acknowledged the fact that I was dissecting a human body--a body that had a life and history--I didn't dwell on that reality. It's hard to explain. There is a way that I can appreciate the person who donated their body to science, and be grateful for the opportunity to learn from it, but push aside the unpleasant thoughts of cutting into a human body. Weirdly enough, you get so caught up in concentrating on what you are doing, that you almost forget that you're cutting up a body. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true.
In any case, within an hour of orientation, I was given the green-light on a cadaver. My assignment was to expose the brachial plexus, a network of nerves located in the upper part of the arm (essentially the armpit/shoulder area). As I began removing tissue and fat, I remembered having heard that your finger is the best tool you have in dissecting a body. The first few minutes, I was pretty timid. I would grab the forceps and a scalpel and carefully remove pieces of tissue. Well, it didn't take long for me to realize that I was going to be in the lab for a long time if I continued to cut that way. As I grew bolder, I began to use my fingers to tear apart muscle fibers and remove layers of fat.
Nerves are a relatively easy find in the body because they are long yellowish-white fibers, hidden behind a layer of muscles. They are great for novices like me too, because they are virtually impossible to sever unless you took a pair of scissors to them. Essentially, you won't break them if you are simply poking around with your hands.
I was fortunate enough to rope in a fourth year medical student, R, to help me with the dissection. I was so surprised by her willingness to help. I expected her to give me a few pointers on how to remove some of the tissue, but instead she hung out at my table for a solid hour to hour and a half.
After we finished up in the gross lab, one of the other interns suggested we go swimming in the Nolichucky River. I had nothing better to do, and I was curious to meet some of the other interns for the summer. So J, A, R, and I went to a spot called "Big Rock" on the Nolichucky. The place was really cool, but my fellow interns were even cooler. It was really fun to just hang out and get to know each other better.
All of this was just my first day.
We did even more stuff today, but I'll give an abbreviated version:
In the morning I helped with a laminectomy. This is a process where you remove the dorsal part of the spine (the lamina) from the vertebral column. Next we exposed the nerves running from the spinal cord beneath the ribs (the intercostal nerves).
I held a brain.
We helped run various OB/GYN simulations for the medical students. Then we listened to a Doctor H debrief on the various scenarios to the students. These debriefs were filled with lots of stuff that went right over my head, but were extremely interesting nonetheless.
After the simulations, I learned how to intubate someone ( I practiced on our sim lab dummy) and how to start a catheter in a vein. I also learned BLS (Basic Life Support), which essentially amounts to CPR.
I've had two jam-packed days, I can't wait to say more about it. But this post is already getting a bit lengthy, so I'll save my thoughts for later.
I still can't believe I held a brain today,
Peter
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