Dr. DRE

September 21st, 2004

As part of our continuing process of preparing to become doctors, we learned how to perform a male genital exam tonight. No, not from books, not on plastic models, but from the real thing…on “standardized patients”, of sorts (I think they were called HHA — human health advocates. These were trained people who at medical schools conduct sessions like these to teach med students learn how to perform various parts of the physical exam…in tonight’s case it was the male genital exam, which included the testicular exam, hernia exam, and finally the digital rectal exam (DRE).

As much as I want to act completely grossed out by what I had to do tonight, it was again actually a very educational and well-run session. These people were very knowledgeable, and they were excellent teachers. They taught us how to do the exam (first by way of demonstration and then by doing it ourselves), and I’m glad my first time doing this was on a healthy volunteer and not a grumpy patient, where I’d be fumbling around trying to feel for the vas deferens.

With that said, I still get disgusted when I think back to the few seconds that the DRE lasted.

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