Question for Medical Students

[Scrub]

Hi.

I have just been accepted to Medical School & start in feb. I have always wanted to be a doctor, but I have to admit that I do feel a bit "weak-stomached" when it comes to blood & gore etc & I'm not really into watching operations on TV etc I don't aspire to be a surgeon, and am aiming for a position in endocrinology. So my question is...were any of you Med Students out there worried about how you'd cope with the gore aspect of medical school - only to find out that it wasn't a problem? Or weren't you at all fazed by the prospect of dissections, cadavers etc? Basically, I just hope that some of you have had these doubts (and overcome them)and that my fears are rational. I look forward to your opinions. Scrub.

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[med_skool_fool]

hey there...is this an American school you are starting in February? I thought most schools typically start in Sugust...please clarify...thanks...

 

[Scrub]

Australian Medical School, Sorry for the confusion

 

[J.S. Legaspi]

When I first started out, I couldn't stand the sight of blood, guts and all the gory stuff inbetween. But once you start working in the hospital and it becomes a usual thing you really get use to it. In the end, I didn't care that I had someone else's blood all over me (this was during a trauma).

 

[solie]

Hi Scrub,

When you're in the middle of a disection, you're so engrossed (no pun intended!) in the clinical aspects of everything you're doing that you really tend to forget that you're working on an actual person.

Trust me--when you're trying to figure out the courses of the nerves of the brachial plexus, you won't even notice that they're connected to a body!

I've heard this really helps while you're watching surgeries as well. Just get really academic about the whole thing--like run through your mind exactly what's happening--what muscles you see, what their innervations and blood supplies are, etc, etc.

I hope this helps! (It's saved me from getting squeemish more than a few times!)

 

[tidy_kiwi]

Australian Medical School, Sorry for the confusion

Hey Scrub....what school are you going to?

 

[leorl]

You're there??? COOL! tell me what it's like! But I get dibs on tidy kiwi's friend .

 

[Winged Scapula]

I beg to differ in regards to being "so engrossed" in your work that you won't feel queasy. This IS true for some (and me obviously) however, many people never get over feeling vasovagal and/or nauseous in the OR, ER, etc. In general most who do find that they gain some tolerance for the experience.

I believe the Rotations and Residencies Forum had a thread several months back with tips on avoiding/getting rid of these type of reactions.

Best of luck...it does get easier for most.

 

[tidy_kiwi]

Scrub - a good book to read on this is "First Cut" by Albert Howard Carter III. It is written by a journalist who sat in on a season in the anatomy lab at a med school - he observes and interviews the students while they work on the cadavers. It gives a very interesting non-medical view on the whole process....it may not help with the queasiness but it does offer some perspective.

 

[ithica20]

i also have a weak stomach (and want to do something with peds) and i'm an ms1. i don't like gross anatomy it kinda turns my stomach, but you fight through it. a weak stomach doesn't mean a bad doctor, just keep that in mind when you figure out what specialty field you enter (sounds like you already have) -- you'll be fine

 

[different strokes]

I have a weak stomach too!! Even smells gross me out. I am going to choose psychiatry as a specialty. I have always been interested in psych anyway.