Rebecca Beni – Medical Student reflects in a creative way of learning anatomy.
Anatomy is about orientating yourself on a perfectly prepared model, where all the vessels and structures are clearly distinguishable from one another.
My first anatomy learning experience was dissecting a deer heart. I had previous experience manipulating animal tissue for surgical scopes but had never dissected an organ before. I learnt how the heart presents very different than how imagined.
February marks National Heart Month – Raising awareness on various heart conditions, where 7.6 million people are living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK (British Heart Foundation, 2024). This is a reminder of the important role we play as future healthcare professionals and how understanding a deceased heart holds the key to saving the future of individuals affected by Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and circulatory conditions.
Description of Image: Digital drawing of an anatomical heart with flowers stemming from it, representing the death that will allow the increase in knowledge.
Reflective Drawing:
It is important to pay respect to what has allowed us to learn. I drew an anatomical heart with some flowers coming out of it, representing how the death of the deer allowed us to learn and gain knowledge to improve our future skills. The death of the animal was ethically justifiable with the fact that the acquisition of knowledge will improve the life and experience of the people that will be cared by us one day. I think it is a very powerful concept, that from sufferance and death, knowledge can be acquired to make other people’s life better.
Rebecca Beni | Medical Student
Reference:
BHF UK CVD Factsheet