Cadaver Lab Chronicles

Cadaver lab. One of my favorite parts of my first semester. Most people either love it or hate it, and ya girl LOVED it. I was a little hesitant and uneasy at first, but that didn’t last long. Overall I learned a lot, and I am forever grateful for this amazingly unique experience!

In my program, we had cadaver lab 3 times a week. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning we would have anatomy lecture from roughly 8:30-9:30 (lecture time depended on the topic), and then cadaver lab from 9:30-11:30. We would have a lecture on a specific part of the body, and then dissect that part of the body in lab. So for example: we would learn about the superficial and intermediate back muscles, the posterior scapular region, and the posterior arm in lecture, and then begin dissecting those areas in lab immediately after.

Each team-based learning (TBL) team had their own body, and got to do their own dissections (so roughly 5-6 people per team and body). I really appreciated this, because some PT programs have to share bodies with other professional programs (MD, PA, etc.). Our learning was in our own hands (literally).

How do I prepare for lab?

• Read your dissector guide and watch your dissection videos (if provided) prior to class. This will save you so much time, because you will know what to expect from the dissection/how to tackle it.
• Ask questions in lecture!
• Review the part of the body you will be dissecting before you go into lab.

What do I wear?

Your program will provide you with a specific dress code. For my program, we were required to wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. Most of my classmates wore scrubs and old tennis shoes. Some people wore leggings or sweatpants. As long as we were in dress code, it didn’t really matter what we wore. We had lockers inside of the lab that we could use to change and store our things. Thankfully our professor allowed us to wear our scrubs to lecture as well, so we didn’t have to change before lab (our program is typically business casual).

• Scrubs (probably): If you have the option to wear scrubs I would not suggest wearing your favorite pair because, ya know, fluids…smells..etc. A cheap pair from Walmart or Target will suffice if you’re on a budget. I purchased 2 pairs of Cherokee scrubs from a scrub store (on sale!), and rotated them out, washing at the end of each week. I wanted a nicer pair of scrubs because I knew that I would need them for my inpatient STEPs. Most people throw their scrubs out after cadaver lab, but mine smelled fine after a good wash *shrug*.
• Closed-toed shoes: Like I said, this was a requirement for us, and most of my classmates and I wore an old pair of tennis shoes that we didn’t care about. P.s. my tennis shoes did not leave my front door when I got home.
• Gloves: We were required to wear gloves at all times. I was all about that double-glove life! My gloves were constantly ripping, especially when they were soiled.
• An apron: Plastic disposable aprons were provided for us, but we weren’t required to wear them. I always wore one though, to avoid getting any fluids on my scrubs. I was that girl that was always leaning into the body, so this was definitely my saving grace.
• A mask: If the smell really bothers you, I’d suggest wearing a face mask. Putting a little Vicks VapoRub underneath the mask may also help with the smell. I only needed a mask for bone-saw days (probably the worst smell ever). Yes, you will probably use a bone-saw at some point!
• Long sleeves: I always wore a long sleeve t-shirt (an underscrub would work as well) under my scrubs because that lab was dang cold! Sometimes I even wore a sweatshirt.

How were lab practicals/exams?

We had 3 lab practicals (1 for each unit). We would take our written exam first (in lecture), then head to lab for the cadaver practical. Each body had 2 “stations” (1 for each side). 1-2 structures were pinned on each side of the body, and there were about 2 questions per station. There were 14 bodies, and roughly 45-60 questions per practical. Example questions: What is this vessel? What is this structure? What is this structure innervated by? What is this muscle’s origin? We were given a minute per station (1 person per station), and about 7 minutes at the end to review bodies/questions that we needed extra time for. We typed all of our answers on our computer into Examplify/Examsoft.

This situation was pretty stressful at first (logistics are half the battle honestly). I struggled with:

• Trying to type quickly while balancing my laptop
• Orienting myself to the body
• Moving on to the next question and not dwelling on the previous one
• The amount of time per question (and having to think/recall information very quickly)

After the first practical though, all of this got way easier.

How do I study?

At the beginning of the semester, I really struggled with studying for cadaver practicals. In my undergraduate anatomy class, we weren’t responsible for knowing origins, insertions, actions, and innervations of every muscle; we just had to identify them. I would take pictures of each structure while in lab (because our dissections were on cats), and create Quizlets. This obviously wasn’t allowed in cadaver lab, so I had to find other ways to succeed:

• The rule of 3: Our professor lived by this rule. If you can identify the structure on at least 3 different bodies, then you are prepared for the practical. Every body is different, and the anatomical variations will blow your mind! Take the time to walk around the lab and study other bodies.
• Visit the lab on your own time: I didn’t do this for the first practical…big mistake. The designated class time is not enough. I couldn’t identify anything because I was so used to how everything looked on my cadaver. After that practical, I made sure to get in the lab multiple times a week outside of class. Yea it may suck to be in the lab over the weekend, but your hard work will pay off!
• Muscle charts and notecards are your friends: A few of my classmates and I would go into lab (together) with a muscle chart in tow to review origins, insertions, actions, and innervations on the bodies. It really helped me recall the information I would be tested on in the environment that I would be tested in. I also adjusted the way I made my notecards. Instead of having 1 notecard for each muscle, I had 4: 1 card for each OIAN of the muscle. This forced me to break things down and focus on one thing at a time, which helped tremendously since we would only have to answer 1 or 2 questions about each structure on the practical. I even color-coded the notecards: purple-origin, green-insertion, orange-action, and blue-innervation. I kept my notecards in order, but you could definitely shuffle the cards for a challenge. 10/10 would recommend!

• Mock practicals: A group of us would participate in “mock” practicals, to sort of get a feel for how our real practicals would be. A few days before a practical, we created our own questions (tried to think like our professors), and pinned different structures on all of the bodies. We would adhere to the same conditions as our real practicals (time limits, no talking, no cheating, etc.) as much as possible. I really enjoyed participating in the mock practicals. It was a good gauge of my knowledge, and it helped relieve some of the stress associated with the logistics (like I said, 50% of the battle). If you don’t want to create a full mock practical, you can always pin different structures while studying and quiz yourself/your classmates!

A reflection from one of my favorite dissections: THE BRAIN!

Today in cadaver lab we removed and dissected the brain. It was so cool to find/see all of the structures we have been learning about (cranial nerves, arteries, etc.) on a real brain. It was also interesting to see the slight differences in each cadaver’s brain. I even got to see a brain that was affected by dementia! Overall, this was probably one of my favorite experiences of PT school thus far. I held someone’s life in my hands. Their thoughts, their memories, their secrets, their fears. All of that in this one organ. I feel very privileged, and I’m excited to continue learning more from my cadaver

TL;DR: Today I held a brain in my bare (*double-gloved*) hands. Life is good.

Advice/Favorite Dissections from Other Students

Tips, Tricks, and Things to Remember

• Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t do well on a practical. On my first practical I scored a 71% (missed 16). On the second practical (after making the adjustments mentioned previously), I scored a 97% (only missed 1)!
• Remember that someone donated their body so that you could learn. While sometimes it may be hard to remember (especially since the first thing we did was cover the face, hands, and feet), this is a real person that had a real life. Recognize that, and always treat your body with respect!
• Wash wash wash your hands…and arms (even after you leave…the smell is in the soap) as much as you can!
• You can be as hands-on or hands-off as you want. Personally, I learned best when I was actually doing the dissection. You could cut, you could direct cuts, you could read the dissector guide, or you could quiz your group. Our professors and TAs understood that cadaver lab wasn’t everyone’s favorite, so we weren’t punished for stepping back or taking breaks.
• You will be given plenty of time to complete your dissections. If by chance you don’t finish during class, you can always go back in later. Our lab was open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I’d just suggest to always bring a friend (that is in your class of course!). Being in the lab alone is kind of creepy.
• Be prepared for some dissections to be more difficult/emotional than others (i.e. the hands, the face, etc.). It is okay to take a step back if you need to.
• Some people couldn’t eat before lab, but I always found it easier to dissect on a full stomach (I’d eat my breakfast during lecture). While the lab makes some people never want to eat again, lab actually made me super hungry (that formaldehyde is no joke).
• Reach out if you need help! Your professors, your TAs, and even your classmates are there to help you.
• Pay attention while you are in the lab. It can be easy to zone out, but you want to be an active learner and participant.
• It’s okay to be nervous!

Honestly, I hope you love cadaver lab as much as I did! If you don’t, you’ll still be fine. The experience is what you make it! Hit me up with any questions!