Practice Partners

"why don't you try to push it in deeper like this," she said as she pulled the vaginal speculum towards her, deeper into her orifice. She had her legs on the stirrups while my head was between her thighs.

"oh ok, now i see your cervix better," i replied.

"now, when you pull out, be careful not to hit the urethra."

"there, i'm almost out now, did i hurt you?"

"you did great. now try to feel for my ovaries. put two fingers in me while palpating my abdomen with the other hand"

"ok," i said while spreading some lubricant across my gloved fingers. "you'll have to guide me through this because it's been a while since i last did this."

"no problem, that's what i'm here for. and you're doing fine."

"i can't seem to find your ovaries."

"try doing this," she takes my hand and guides it along her lower abdomen in a fast motion. "keep those fingers inside me pointed upwards while this other hand flicks for the ovaries."

"oh there they are," i said with glee.

***

R has been a volunteer for medical students and doctors to practice their skills on for nineteen years now. K, guy in the other room has been doing the same thing for 5 years. The purpose of the exercise was to teach us how to conduct these sensitive examinations as humanely as possible. I have done numerous pelvic exams on patients before but i have learned a lot of important points today.

Questions such as "are you comfortable?", "am i hurting you?", are pretty much the standard questions around here. Getting immediate feedback from a live patient provides better insight on the proper way to go about these exams, to make us more sensitive doctors, and, maybe, better ones.

***
Thank you, R and K, for doing the medical field a big favor.