This one person in my lab group.

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madindalab

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So, everyone in my group is having problems with one person in my anatomy lab group. Basically, we are all friends and hang out/drink/go to eat with each other outside the lab, except this one person. All of us participate in weekly group reviews, but this person. I don't care and no one else, I believe, in the group has a problem with this.

However, the persons attitude and actions in lab are getting super problematic. Basically said person is just dominating the dissection field and just being an ass. Really sarcastic and overly protective of just stupid crap. This single person is super neurotic about just picking at crap, not really getting all of the objectives done in a given lab. In our last dissection we got roughly 1/2 our objectives done because person was just getting angry when we said we wanted to move on. The person even bumps our hands out of the way and grabs tools from us, no joke. I've had to go in on my own time and finish dissections because we couldn't get in the field.

We have tried talking to this person about it, being passive aggressive, and even flat out bumping out of the way. Doesn't help. Sometimes when we go manage to get in the field of view, the person decides to spray us, no joke. Spray our gloves and in the field with wetting solution, acting like its to keep the structures moist... The ones we have out noses six inches away from?!?! Really?!?!??!

Person even started telling others the group to shut up. I'm a pretty chill, patient person but I'm not into getting walked all over. I feel like punching this person in the throat 90% of dissection time.

/end rant

so do I go to deans or what? Anyone have similar problems?

Edit:we cant switch groups and had no say in who our members are.

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You can always meet with the rest of your lab group at times without "this" guy. Just make a meeting without telling him. This way, you'll finish the objectives you didn't and also do things without the other guy affecting you. In cases like this, the dean cannot do anything, and you shouldn't do anything either. If your problem is really escalating, all members of your group should speak to the lab group organizer. Other than that, just tough it out, there's douches in every group.
 
Speak to the lab group organizer. They're responsible for handling this kinda ****.

You really should try being nice to him first and telling him honestly what the problems are. I see that you tried talking to him about it... but in what manners? If being nice doesn't work, then... secret meetings! :laugh:
 
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Or you could just ignore it and get through anatomy and hope to hell that you're not on the same team with this person in third year
 
Tell them to stop being a child and selfish and start acting like a team member. Your lab group is a democracy, not a dictatorship that this wannabe prefers it to be.

And start calling out on all these little things that they're doing to slow you guys down or ruin your learning experience. I mean really, just stop doing whatever you're doing and look them straight in the eye tell it like it is.

I don't know how you are all letting one person dominate/torture the entire group like this.
 
Tell them to stop being a child and selfish and start acting like a team member. Your lab group is a democracy, not a dictatorship that this wannabe prefers it to be.

And start calling out on all these little things that they're doing to slow you guys down or ruin your learning experience. I mean really, just stop doing whatever you're doing and look them straight in the eye tell it like it is.

I don't know how you are all letting one person dominate/torture the entire group like this.
This.

Tell him/her if they want to be super thorough for them to come on their own time, but the rest of the group is going to finish the dissection within the alotted time.

.....and "accidently" hack through some delicate structures.
 
This is ironic to me. I could care less about dissection, I'd rather someone else do it so I can come in later and just learn the structures faster. Maybe I just don't like the surgical side of medicine.
 
This is ironic to me. I could care less about dissection, I'd rather someone else do it so I can come in later and just learn the structures faster. Maybe I just don't like the surgical side of medicine.

Should've gone to a school with prosections.
 
This person probably doesn't realize s/he is affecting the rest of the group in this manner.
 
Should've gone to a school with prosections.

I desperately wish I had. Dissecting is such a waste of time. I learn so little considering the amount of time it takes.
 
I feel that way every now and then concerning prosection, but I mean, come on, you get to dissect a body! Not like you're going to have too many opportunities to do that down the road. Just enjoy the experience
 
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I would be happy going through my entire life not ever dissecting a human body.
 
I feel that way every now and then concerning prosection, but I mean, come on, you get to dissect a body! Not like you're going to have too many opportunities to do that down the road. Just enjoy the experience

Enjoy is not the term I'd use. The guy is ..leaky and ugh..juicy for lack of a better word. I do it because I think it's better to make mistakes now on a dead person than a live one.

And yes, I feel like it takes forever just to see a couple of things. It's good to see it irl but just seeing pec major for example, after spending 1.5 hours cutting, when I saw pec major, minor, rhomboid/deltoid/etc on the prosection seems more productive use of my time. Though I don't think I'll ever look at beef jerky the same way...
 
This is ironic to me. I could care less about dissection, I'd rather someone else do it so I can come in later and just learn the structures faster. Maybe I just don't like the surgical side of medicine.
Not necessarily--I hate dissecting (most of it, although cutting through bone and using the scalpel is fun), but I love surgery (at least, the idea of it, I've obviously never done a surgery). To me, the difference is on one hand, you're just blindly cleaning off fascia, while on the other, you're working to achieve an objective, to fix/do something. I guess I just need to choose a surgical specialty where I don't have to clean off excessive amounts of fascia.
 
Not necessarily--I hate dissecting (most of it, although cutting through bone and using the scalpel is fun), but I love surgery (at least, the idea of it, I've obviously never done a surgery). To me, the difference is on one hand, you're just blindly cleaning off fascia, while on the other, you're working to achieve an objective, to fix/do something. I guess I just need to choose a surgical specialty where I don't have to clean off excessive amounts of fascia.

Well, you still need to isolate things in surgery.

Also, instead of nipping off fat and fascia, you get to smell it burning from cautery, which is probably more disgusting than anything related to dissections.
 
Good rant. Why not tell the person that you're paying $40K a year to be there and that he should quit being such a dick. If that doesn't work team up with everyone else in your group to box him out of the dissection. But if you want to take the more diplomatic approach, I guess you could talk to a superior... but that's so kindergarden-ish in my opinion.

You're going to encounter more workplace problems like this in the future; trying to solve them without involving more people than necessary is always the best approach. Going to your superior to complain should always be a last resort.
 
Opinions vary widely on how usefulness of anatomy lab. Personally, I thought it was a great learning experience and would be damned if some a-hole was basically ruining it. Sure you could come in afterwards with the rest of the group, but that is a considerable amount of wasted time in lab. I'd talk to him with the rest of the group while being very direct but not overly confrontational. If he doesn't play ball, go to one of the lab supervisors as a group. You are paying a hell of a lot for this experience. I wouldn't waste it.

...or you could slice his Achilles with a scalpel when no one is looking. Let's see him stand and dissect after that.
 
Opinions vary widely on how usefulness of anatomy lab. Personally, I thought it was a great learning experience and would be damned if some a-hole was basically ruining it. Sure you could come in afterwards with the rest of the group, but that is a considerable amount of wasted time in lab. I'd talk to him with the rest of the group while being very direct but not overly confrontational. If he doesn't play ball, go to one of the lab supervisors as a group. You are paying a hell of a lot for this experience. I wouldn't waste it.

...or you could slice his Achilles with a scalpel when no one is looking. Let's see him stand and dissect after that.

:/ Sit when you dissect, n00b. Move the body down.
 
tell them to stop being a child and selfish and start acting like a team member. Your lab group is a democracy, not a dictatorship that this wannabe prefers it to be.

And start calling out on all these little things that they're doing to slow you guys down or ruin your learning experience. I mean really, just stop doing whatever you're doing and look them straight in the eye tell it like it is.

I don't know how you are all letting one person dominate/torture the entire group like this.

this.
 
Enjoy is not the term I'd use. The guy is ..leaky and ugh..juicy for lack of a better word. I do it because I think it's better to make mistakes now on a dead person than a live one.

And yes, I feel like it takes forever just to see a couple of things. It's good to see it irl but just seeing pec major for example, after spending 1.5 hours cutting, when I saw pec major, minor, rhomboid/deltoid/etc on the prosection seems more productive use of my time. Though I don't think I'll ever look at beef jerky the same way...

Second. Although that feeling changes about 1 year ex post facto.
 
This is ironic to me. I could care less about dissection, I'd rather someone else do it so I can come in later and just learn the structures faster. Maybe I just don't like the surgical side of medicine.

Haha this is awesome- I spent 3 hours every anatomy lab walking around and talking to people while my gonna-be-surgeon tank mates whittled away at fat and fascia-only to learn the structures later on- I couldnt agree more with this poster.
 
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