Cadaver Lab

[johnnyidaho]

I start PT school in August and am concerned about the cadaver labs. I have very little experience with cadavers in my undergrad classes (basically none). Is this something I could be concerned about? Any guidance for someone with no experience with cadavers?

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[hawk777]

You'll be fine. I had never seen a cadaver before my first day of gross anatomy and after the first day it was nothing. You'll be amazed at how quickly your mind adapts to the strangeness of it. It's a wonderful learning opportunity that you'll never forget. Don't worry about it.

 

[noyceguy]

I start PT school in August and am concerned about the cadaver labs. I have very little experience with cadavers in my undergrad classes (basically none). Is this something I could be concerned about? Any guidance for someone with no experience with cadavers?

Nothing to be concerned with. The donors wanted to be there and they are dead, so there's not much else that can happen to them. You get about 15 seconds to be grossed out before you have to get to work and open up the entire back and start cleaning it up. You do get used to it pretty quick and after a while I really liked being in the lab and learning from the donors.

 

[rltruong]

i just started my program. we have PT, OT, and AT in our class. there will be a few ppl that don't feel at ease and last year someone fell over and hit the tank and needed stitches. but you get over it really quickly. when you do that first incision along that sternum its all fun after that. till you cut out a structure you were meant to find and keep. just prey you get a "normal" non fat body.

 

[Watson27]

I think a lot of people are freaked out by the idea, but after the first 10 minutes, you will realize it's fine and actually fun!

If you still have problems after being in the lab, talk to your instructor. Sometimes just expressing how you're feeling can help. And your instructor can basically tell you what noyceguy did. The donors wanted to be there to help aspiring health professionals learn.

If you find that you can't get over it, think about getting a prescription for an anxiety medication. One of my best friends was only able to make it through cadaver lab with a little help from Xanax.

 

[DesertPT]

just prey you get a "normal" non fat body.

 

[markelmarcel]

I think that it's very important to separate yourself from the thought that the cadaver was a person who had a life and (potentially) a loving family, etc. It was easy for me to just realize I needed to focus on the science of it, until I got over the initial shock. Then, eventually you find that you do have questions about the person and sometimes they can be answered depending on what all information came with them. As someone else said, just remember that the person whom you are working on willingly gave themselves to a program to be used for your learning. I am forever grateful for the people who gave their bodies for my learning. I learned way more from them than I did from any photo or illustration in a book.

 

[Azimuthal]

Put on a pair of nitrile gloves and a plastic catering apron. Splash some vegetable oil all over yourself. There, cadaver lab!

 

[rltruong]

gonna add some more to what i said above...

you think cadaver lab is something to be weirded out about? just wait till you get to lower extremity palpation and you have you butt out for all to see. then turn over for a anterior palpation HA. all part of the fun of PT school.

 

[swolecat]

I almost cried when they took the shroud off of our cadaver. But I was fortunate to have some PA students in my group that were all about dissecting, so I mostly hung back. By the third week I was manning the bone saw, spraying intercostal rib muscles and fascia into my face while I cut the rib cage off and holding human hearts in my hand.

I've never even watched a rated R movie. I'm about as scared as a person can get, and I still got over it