LAVH: students in surgery.... let me think, NO!

I guess everyone is different. I would be fine with it if it wasn't assisted vaginally. I told the lady "I wouldn't mind if i was having a TAH, but since mine is assisted vaginally, no." I cant imagine students all crowded around me looking at my vagina. But i also (who doesn't?) Have a past. Though ours are all different, i grew up sexually abused and have never had sex since my rape(s). I had a abortion at 15 from a pregnancy from rape. Then as a adult the one time i was intimate, i asked him to stop because i was having flashbacks, in which.he wouldn't. Took me a long time to realize once i said "no, stop" it was rape after that. My Dr is very aware of my history and how hard pelvic exams are. Which i never thought i would be comfortable with a male Dr, but he is awesome. He even impressed my mom with his demeanor and bedside manner. I still cant believe as a male Dr, i trust him. Much more than previous drs. So with that said, noooooooo way i would feel comfortable having students watching a assisted vaginally surgery. Gah! But seriously, students have to learn, and i get it. Hats off to those of you able to provide that. It is encouraging to know people are willing. But this girl, no way!

I ended up having my hyst in an emergency surgery. Since I was uninsured, I fell under the charity plan for the hospital. I had NO CHOICE. My surgery was performed by a first year resident, with a passel of student nurses and doctors in the OR...(overseen I'm sure, but still.) I've had evnledd issues since.. they knicked my bladder... and I still feel horrible 4 months out... This has been such a nightmare for me.

Wow...I'm sorry that this happened to you. That kind of seems like discrimination to me. Just because you are uninsured doesn't mean you deserve sub-par care. I would have had an absolute fit if I found out my emergency surgery was done by a first year resident. I understand they need to learn, but they don't need to turn patients into guinea pigs. Anyways, with me, I wouldn't mind 1 or 2 students in the OR as long as they were just watching and not participating. I really have no shame anymore. I went preterm at 32 weeks with my son, and it was stopped. I was in the hospital for a week and had several students come with the doctor daily. There were usually 5 or 6 at a time. I never thought I would get so used to so many people seeing my vagina lol.

I've had neverending sub par care. It's been so bad that I feel very hopeless for my future at this point, as I just keep feeling worse and worse and no one will help me. It makes me really sad that I should have to feel so horrible at the age of 32. If this is my new normal, I'm not sure I can live with it.

I completely understand. After 7 years of dealing with nothing but pain, and it seemed like no doctor I went to cared or they thought I was crazy. I finally found the doctor of my dreams. She was the one that finally realized that just because I'm young, I'll be 24 in April, doesn't mean I don't have any problems. At times I felt so hopeless, and my husband would get frustrated with me which made things worse. Just hang in there, and keep trying to get the care you deserve. Don't settle for less.

As someone who studied medicine, I am profoundly grateful to those patients that allowed me to shadow the attending physician. I also took no offense to those who declined; these are personal decisions. The opportunity to learn from an alive and real person is the best form of education as books cannot give you human feedback. What I took from my encounters with patients went far beyond the skill I was learning. To talk with someone who is in pain or scared or has just lost a loved one is really the only way one can learn to deal with these very strong emotions. These students aren't on a field trip to zoo, they are there to learn how to one day be the doctor or nurse who will be taking care of us in the future. It is a gift we give to the student; letting them learn from us. I say thank you to those of you that let me learn.

I have had students at all my appointments and it didn't bother me. As long as they are medical students and thay are not studying architecture, history, mechanics etc lol. They all have to learn and after all my surgeon was a student once and he had to observe and learn from other ladies before me, and I am just pleased that they allowed him to learn his practice on them, so he can be a good surgeon on me.

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Originally Posted by April 1965 I have had students at all my appointments and it didn't bother me. As long as they are medical students and thay are not studying architecture, history, mechanics etc lol. They all have to learn and after all my surgeon was a student once and he had to observe and learn from other ladies before me, and I am just pleased that they allowed him to learn his practice on them, so he can be a good surgeon on me.

I couldn't agree more.

For me personally, I would not mind them being in the room to observe.. However, the key word is "observe". Would not want them handeling my body during surgery at all..

I told them it was ok if they students were there but under NO circumstance were they to touch me. We have lots of drs in the family and I understand the need for them to learn but maybe I know their foibles a little too well. In the past I have also allowed them in the room but not to do a procedure. It isn't a modesty thing for me but a self-preservation thing.