After first year, a group of us got together and said, “There ought to be some kind of formal introduction to the anatomy lab and working with a cadaver for first year students. We thought it would help first years to have an introduction because a lot of people go into the anatomy lab and have never seen a dead body before. And you walk in and there’s no time to take a deep breath and get used to it – they kind of hand you a scalpel and you go to work.
It’s an example of how sensitivity to issues come into play in every aspect of medical school and life. Medical students come here with different religious beliefs and different experiences around death and dying. It makes sense for us to prepare for this work with an open mind and a deep sense of respect.
