After Block 1 was completed, the white coat ceremony was held. This is where I received the coat that I will wear throughout medical school. It was exciting to get my first white coat, as was seeing my fellow friends get “coated” and meeting everyone’s family.
Also, after Block 1 ended, we started the cadaver lab, which is something I have never experienced before. The closest I got to dissection was when I was younger. It was during my senior year of high school, and it didn’t involve a human. This experience was completely different than anything I have dealt with before.
Being able to dissect a real human being is a truly remarkable experience, and I am so thankful for the person who donated their body so I could learn through this experience.
All of second block involved the musculoskeletal system, and we got to see most of the muscles, arteries, and nerves that we take for granted every single day. Trying to differentiate between nerves, arteries, and veins was one of the hardest parts of the lab. Anatomy books show you that the arteries are red, veins are blue, and nerves are yellow. When you open up the body, it looks nothing like the anatomy books. The hardest part is that every cadaver is unique and, therefore, distinguishing which artery, vein, and nerve you are trying to find can be very difficult.
I am now in Block 3, which is the neurology block. We recently took out the human brain, and I held it in my hands. It was amazing to hold the human brain in my hands, all this person’s memories, experiences, and stories were in this brain, and it was truly a humbling experience.
Life continues. This is true in more ways than I imagined. For me, it continues on my path to become a physician. For the human body I am working with, it continues as a way to learn. I am very grateful for both.
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