Learning Just Happened Here

I've hit another milestone on the med school path: learning the rectal and male genito-urinary tract exams.

I had an incredibly positive experience last Monday as I was fortunate enough (as all US med students are, I think) to learn from a patient-instructor who was generous enough to donate his time, efforts, and body to the greater medical education cause. I can't even imagine what it must be like for instructors to allow naive and inexperienced medical students to intimately explore the most private and protected parts of their bodies. And I can't thank my instructor and all other instructors out there for their important contributions to mine and my fellow classmates' educations. They have helped us become a little more comfortable during a part of the physical exam that can be almost as anxiety-provoking for the examiner as it is for the examinee.

Sadly, I haven't had as much time to reflect on the event and what it means to me. All I can come up with right now is the usual cliche of it prompting in me a deeper understanding of my obligation and duty to provide the best care possible for my patients, both on the individual and population levels, and my even greater gratitude for the privilege of being a part of my patients' lives in ways most people cannot be. Though all of this true, my gut tells me it doesn't quite describe what I want to express and how I felt about the experience. Hopefully more on that if I ever get the time to sit down and think about it.