Myth or Truth?

[Mochigirl]

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So lately, I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school. I don't know if it is a myth or the truth and I was hoping some students in medical school could let me know.

They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc. That's not true is it? Who do medical students practice their clinical tests and studies on? real live patients, dead patients?

 

[ANF1986]

Sound like gunners who want one less competitive applicant in the pool. People like that really annoy me, as if one less person of 45,000 is going to matter for them. Tell your friends they're idiots.

 

[GamjaXnamjA]

These medical schools make so much money that they can afford hundreds of dead bodies. Some bodies are even donated! OF COURSE you operate on real DEAD bodies.. not on each other.. that's ridiculous.. they are just trying to scare you. Also there are lots of really really realistic and accurate dummy bodies that schools use

 

[135892]

Sound like gunners who want one less competitive applicant in the pool. People like that really annoy me, as if one less person of 45,000 is going to matter for them. Tell your friends they're idiots.

They may not necessarily be "gunning", but may just be having a little fun with their gullible friend...

 

[TehDoc]

You need new friends if they were trying to seriously deter you from applying.

 

[NurWollen]

Isn't it funny how when someone expresses an interest in medicine as a career, there is a line of people anxious to tell you not to do it?

 

[Quix]

Isn't it funny how when someone expresses an interest in medicine as a career, there is a line of people anxious to tell you not to do it?

I'd put more credence in *doctors* telling you not to do it rather than other *undergraduates*.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Actually many schools require you to sign a waiver similar to the following:
I will agree to donate at least 1 organ to prove my humanity.
I will agree to help my classmates whether or not it means bodily harm
I will agree to participate in medical studies for the advancement of science
I will agree to random full physicals to show that I am capable of physicianing
I will agree to a strip search by the program director to prove I am not cheating
I will agree to not be gullible so that my patients, attendings, and peers do not tease the living BIJEEZUS out of me.

 

[Bacchus]

At the most you'll be using each other as patients to take histories and perform exams. You won't be suturing or disimpacting your best friend Sally at med school X, Y, or Z.

 

[rom3o]

Hey, it's a valid question. The op seems to be asian, I know out there in Japan and the like they do some crazy ****. 🙄

How can anyone be so gullible and stupid?

 

[Textuality]

Haha..no.

The most we're doing is ultrasounds on each other.

 

[JaggerPlate]

So lately, I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school. I don't know if it is a myth or the truth and I was hoping some students in medical school could let me know.

They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc. That's not true is it? Who do medical students practice their clinical tests and studies on? real live patients, dead patients?

My friends perform surgery on each other in undergrad. Or at least they said it was surgery ...

 

[NurWollen]

I'd put more credence in *doctors* telling you not to do it rather than other *undergraduates*.

Definately true, but so far all the doctors I have spoken too are very supportive and encouraging of me planning on med school. They add the caveat that I won't be happy if I do it just for the money, but otherwise they say they love it. So far, those who have discouraged me have been my undergraduate science professors and trolls on SDN.

 

[bcat85]

Why yes, OP. Just yesterday two of my classmates performed a Whipple procedure on me... I'm typing this as I lie in my hospital bed.

 

[URHere]

Wow. For the most part, you really don't have to worry about your future medical school classmates performing procedures on you. However, many schools do require that students practice basic exams on each other. At my school, we practice heart, lung, abdominal, etc exams on our classmates, but the most invasive this has gotten has been the IV clinic where we jabbed each other with needles. As for everything else, our school has a vivisection component where we practice some procedures on sedated animals, but most actual surgical techniques will either be practiced on something non-living (e.g. suture practice on fruit) or in the clinics in third year (if you have a nice attending).

 

[JackInTheBox]

Man, you guys are going to ruin my back-alley pelvic exam business if you keep telling the truth.

 

[WannaBePreMed]

Lol You actually believed them?

 

[p30doc]

truth, the only reason I want to go to medical school is so I can finally get this appendix removed, I can't believe it hasn't ruptured yet! and they said it was an emergency! pffft

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

One time at band camp, my best friend Bobby made me perform a prostate exam on him.

🙁

 

[calnation]

On the first day of law school the professor will say:

"Look to your left, look to your right, now look behind you. You will be sued by at least 2 of these people. If you're lucky"

 

[Law2Doc]

Why yes, OP. Just yesterday two of my classmates performed a Whipple procedure on me... I'm typing this as I lie in my hospital bed.

The Whipple wasn't so bad. The craniotomy was a bit of a headache though.


Seriously, you will not be doing any invasive things on classmates. You probably will look into their eyes, ears, mouth, and listen to their heart and lungs. If classmates are mutually willing, they may put IVs in each other, although at most schools this is optional. Many schools have standardized patients, on whom you will learn pelvic and rectal exams -- they are paid nicely for this intrusion. And of course you will learn a ton on real live patients. You won't be learning any physical exam or surgical skills on dead patients. You use cadavers at most schools to dissect and learn the internal anatomy, but that is more foundation than a skill you will be using after first year -- that is not how you learn surgery (contrary to what a prior poster seemed to suggest). You probably will have a workshop where you learn to suture on fruit or meat but you will more often hone this skill sewing up some unfortunate patient under the supervision of a resident.

 

[link2swim06]

So lately, I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school. I don't know if it is a myth or the truth and I was hoping some students in medical school could let me know.

They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc. That's not true is it? Who do medical students practice their clinical tests and studies on? real live patients, dead patients?

If med students practiced surgeries on one another how many people do you think survive through med school? So to answer your question there is no way in hell you will be practicing surgery on your class peers.

 

[atomi]

So lately, I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school.

A surefire way to tell if a premed's motivations for going into medicine are genuine is if they discourage others from doing it also. Find new friends - these people are selfish and are only doing it because they care so much about making themselves appear special, important, and proving to people how smart they are. They don't want anyone else in their circle to take away some of their thunder - that's why they discourage you no matter what they say. By putting you down, they raise themselves up. They'll bad-mouth medicine, say how much it sucks, say how hard it is, how much you have to sacrifice, how you really don't make very much money, make up ridiculous stories. This is all just to make themselves appear more special in their own minds - it's like saying "unlike me, you're not capable, smart enough, or too much of a wimp to do this - do something else." I take it as an insult when people say things like this and I call them on it. But you need to ask yourself why you want to be a doctor. Don't be one of those thousands trying to prove something to their parents or peers. It is such a shame that the system attracts so many people like this.

 

[cpants]

You will be practicing on each other. Nothing like a surgery, but EKG's, spirometry, physical exams (in varying states of undress), practicing IV's and blood draws, yes.

 

[teddybear]

I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school.
They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc.

If I were you I would lose all their phone numbers and make some new friends.

 

[Lukkie]

this is a joke right?

 

[Chocolate Bear]

You won't be learning any physical exam or surgical skills on dead patients. You use cadavers at most schools to dissect and learn the internal anatomy, but that is more foundation than a skill you will be using after first year -- that is not how you learn surgery (contrary to what a prior poster seemed to suggest).

I know of at least one school that has a surgical elective course, during the second half of MS-1, that uses cadavers to introduce, demonstrate, and teach the most common surgical procedures.

Of course the majority of surgical training starts in MS-3/4 on live patients, but it is possible to begin with cadavers.

 

[diosa428]

I know of at least one school that has a surgical elective course, during the second half of MS-1, that uses cadavers to introduce, demonstrate, and teach the most common surgical procedures.

Of course the majority of surgical training starts in MS-3/4 on live patients, but it is possible to begin with cadavers.

Prior to our surgery rotation, or school teaches us how to do a trach on cadavers, and a few other things. But we don't do actual surgery.

 

[dienekes88]

The Whipple wasn't so bad. The craniotomy was a bit of a headache though.

Yeah bcat85... quit your bellyachin'...

 

[alibai3ah]

So lately, I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school. I don't know if it is a myth or the truth and I was hoping some students in medical school could let me know.

They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc. That's not true is it? Who do medical students practice their clinical tests and studies on? real live patients, dead patients?

Umm either your friends are idiots or they don't want you to apply or something....don't worry you do everything on dead bodies, and DEFINETLY NOT ON EACH OTHER

 

[Premed Worrier]

So lately, I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school. I don't know if it is a myth or the truth and I was hoping some students in medical school could let me know.

They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc. That's not true is it? Who do medical students practice their clinical tests and studies on? real live patients, dead patients?

Of course you do. You don't anesthesize each other either so you can ask questions as you cut on each other. I can't believe you haven't done enough research to know this.

 

[Law2Doc]

Umm either your friends are idiots or they don't want you to apply or something....don't worry you do everything on dead bodies, and DEFINETLY NOT ON EACH OTHER

Um no, you don't do everything on dead bodies, but you don't do invasive stuff on each other either. You learn on patients, both standardized and real for much of the more intrusive stuff. The schools who are practicing surgery on cadavers are a very tiny minority -- most are going to have you learn the bulk of your suturing on real live people after a quick session with a piece of fruit or meat, during third year. Cadavers are generally reserved for anatomy class/dissection, which bears little similarity to anything clinical/surgical. Similarly, your pelvic and rectal exams are going to be learned either on standardized patients, or on real patients. That's the way medicine works -- if a patient comes to a teaching hospital there is an understanding that they are going to be taught on.

 

[scg]

Umm either your friends are idiots or they don't want you to apply or something....don't worry you do everything on dead bodies, and DEFINETLY NOT ON EACH OTHER

I don't think his friends are the ones that are idiots if the OP is so gullible...

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc. That's not true is it? Who do medical students practice their clinical tests and studies on? real live patients, dead patients?

I don't know...maybe you'll draw blood from each other, but surgeries...Definitely not!!!

 

[Bartelby]

So lately, I have had some friends who are discouraging me from going to medical school even though they are changing their career paths to medical school. I don't know if it is a myth or the truth and I was hoping some students in medical school could let me know.

They told me in medical school, students perform medical tests on each other and themselves. for example, surgeries and etc. That's not true is it? Who do medical students practice their clinical tests and studies on? real live patients, dead patients?

I didn't bother to read the responses.

Yes, you do physical exams on each other.

No, you don't do surgery on each other. Did you seriously need to come here to ask that?

 

[alan06]

I don't think it is right to discourage someone from following their dream. If you have volunteered in a clinical settings before, then you have a pretty a good idea what being a doc entails. I don't think it is feasible to do procedure on yourself when you have plenty of time to practice. Just follow your path and not others'

 

[Law2Doc]

If you have volunteered in a clinical settings before, then you have a pretty a good idea what being a doc entails.

Well no, this statement absolutely isn't true. You perhaps have a tiny window into some small aspect. I don't think any physician would assert that folks who haven't been through third year clerkship rotations or even residency have a "pretty good idea" of what being a doc entails. But schools require this because it's better than having no perspective at all.