A Medical Student’s Understanding of Anatomy Through Variation and Perseverance 

February 2025 | Vol. 69, No. 1
Written by Lauren Raziano, OMS-I, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 

The experience of the anatomy lab is a rite of passage in medical school, a humbling, extraordinary journey into the intricacies of life itself. 

The lab was overwhelming. The clinical smell of formaldehyde, the stark lighting, and the responsibility to care for a cadaver. As I looked around at other students who are also experiencing this environment for the first time, I realized that the lab is more than a classroom; it’s a space where the boundaries of science and humanity blur. I remember standing with my table mates, asking myself the question, How do you approach a person who has selflessly given their body for your education? But as I began, layer by layer, the fear gave way to focus, and with each lab, I uncovered both anatomical structures and parts of myself I had yet to understand.

There were moments of frustration when I couldn’t name a nerve or distinguish one muscle from another. I had to admit when I could not orient myself to the body before taking the next step, which gave me the confidence to ask for help from the anatomy assistants and professors. In these times, I learned the value of patience and persistence. While completing a pectoral dissection lab, I exposed the cephalic vein in the deltopectoral groove and proudly declared it my anatomy gold star. As I progressed through my musculoskeletal course, I grew more confident in what I knew. I learned that growth isn’t always linear—sometimes, it’s revisiting the same path until clarity emerges.

Shortage

February 2025 | Vol. 69, No. 1
Written by Aloki A. Mehta, LECOM OMS-III

Drip drip drip
The patient has E.coli
Symptomatic for 10 agonizing days
Severely dehydrated
With a potassium of 2.6

Drip drip drip
Only one bag, they reluctantly decide
They have to ration
The IV fluid supply
dwindling by the hour

Drip drip drip
Severe pain shoots through
Potassium chloride
Setting the veins ablaze
No buffer, no cushion
It burns