From our anonymous insider…
Exam Week: physiology (including pharmacology), anatomy, and clinical (x2).
Classmates are nervous about physiology due to range of systems covered in this block: endocrinology, reproductive, kidney, and gastrointestinal. From our class GroupMe chat: “I cannot believe they could not put one of these systems into the next block.” (We can believe anything about the next block because we haven’t experienced it!); “FML,” [F… My Life] liked by 26 classmates.
Anatomy questions were easier than on the previous two exams. Every question was first order (e.g., What is this structure?), instead of a more challenging clinical scenario or applied reasoning (e.g., Which of the following structures would be used to access the posterior aspect of the stomach?). The most difficult question asked us to identify two arteries in the abdomen on a CT image slice. Classmates speculated that standards were lowered in response to complaints during the last block regarding the anatomy curriculum. I wasn’t among the dissatisfied; if I get a well thought-out question wrong I tend to remember the material.
I spoke with an M4 (fourth-year medical student) after the anatomy exam. The school apparently used to conduct the anatomy exam in the lab on your individual cadaver. They stopped this because some students felt under too much pressure from being “pimped” by instructors and “it did not look good for the LCME [Liaison Committee on Medical Education].” I asked, “What does pimping mean?” The term refers to an attending bombarding a resident or medical student with questions. The M4 chuckled, “Hospitals have not succumbed to these restrictions so be prepared on your rotations. A good attending won’t let his or her resident leave the day without feeling humbled or inadequate, depending on how you take the experience.”
After exams we completed a Web-browser-based anonymous evaluation for every instructor. The “Learning Environment” section requires a response to “Were you required to perform any personal services?” and “Did you feel you were denied opportunities for training or subjected to offensive remarks because of gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation?” We were informed via mass email to be careful with this section because every “yes” response causes an email marked “urgent” to be sent to each dean. Accidental “yes” responses at the end of the last block caused a bit of an inbox meltdown among the academic administrators.
The good news about “offensive remarks” is that LCME requires they be recorded, along with the rest of each lecture, on video. This way students who can’t be bothered to attend still have access and anyone who enjoys being offended can repeat the experience. Over half the class uses this feature and our large IT staff are frequently called to help with issues. Before the weekend, a student asked a beloved instructor, “What is your favorite beer?” He responded, “The video is recording, I’ll tell you afterwards.”
Statistics for the week… Study: 25 hours. Sleep: 8 hours/night (I once again get more sleep during exam week?); Fun: 1 night. Example fun: Final exams ended at 12:00pm. Ten of us went to classmate’s apartment for beer and mimosas, followed by an early happy hour excursion downtown and late night dancing. Jane and I slept until noon the next day.