WILTIMS #24: What'd we do wrong now?

Today we continued our excavation of the abdomen in anatomy lab. We partially detached the liver, were yelled at for doing it wrong, tied off the top and bottom of the small intestine, were yelled at for doing it wrong, removed the small intestine from the mesentery, were yelled at for doing it wrong, and dissected the stomach.

We have five different instructors for anatomy and, in the past week, our end of the room has been watched over by a rather brusk and confrontational surgeon. We've learned not to take offense to his constructive criticism, because absolutely everyone is treated the same way. If anything, it's bonded the students together as we laugh off any negative comments once the instructor moves on to the next table.

Later we had a lecture teaching us what our responsibilities will be as future mandated reporters of child abuse (TIL: Unlike most other states, NY doesn't mandate reporting of abuse to the elderly or dependant adults. Let's get with the program! But I digress...). We were then warned of the many many ways to commit medical fraud and the dramatic career ending punishments that are rendered on the perpetrators.

Lastly, I have gotten involved with a cancer education club that goes to local high schools to...educate high schoolers about cancer (surprise!). The idea is to complement DARE-like programs by teaching not just the pitfalls of peer-pressure and substance abuse, but to dive into the science behind cancer. Maybe if more people understand how carcinogens like cigarettes cause cancer, rather than taking our word that they do, they can make good informed decisions to live healthier lives.

TIL: When trying to describe anatomical features, we somehow always turn to food comparisons. Duodenum contents? Pesto sauce! Jejunum section? Sausage links! Greater omentum? Caramelized beef jerky with a teriyaki glaze!

The FBI can confiscate all of an office's medical records if the practice is under investigation for fraud. If the doctor needs the records for patient care, the FBI can even charge the office a per page fee to get copies made.

The new ICD-10 medical classification list that goes into effect next year in the US will have over 68,000 different diagnosis codes.