Jerkface

One thing that is very, very, VERY frustrating about medicine (and lots of other things, surely, but medicine in particular) is that people are not always nice. Sometimes they are really mean. Like out-to-get you mean, and not in any kind of a paranoid student way, but in a way where your classmates come up to you later and say, "He was totally out of line". They love that they know more than you do and are not afraid to tell you all about it.

I have been lucky and have not experienced this to any great degree. Before today.

Today, because of a series of miscommunication, I was late to a small group meeting. It was not totally my fault, but a combination of a misinformed lecturer and a small, missed announcement online. I probably should have known, but I didn't. And I wasn't the only one who missed it - the room change was missed by three other students. So we sat in this room until three minutes after class was to have started before we figured out where we should be. We were 7 minutes late.

As we walked in, the lab-based PhD prof pointed at all of us and said, "Well, if you're going to be this late, you'll have to sit here in the front." Fine. So we troop up to the front and sit, with me directly in the center. Then, without asking why we were all late together (you know, like there might be a reason) starts picking on us. Making us read out loud, asking us questions. Since these small group sessions are graded on participation, we were ready with answers. But he wouldn't let us answer before telling us why we were wrong. Condescending and drunk with his Small Group Leader Power.

Once, he asked me the normal range of BUN. I glanced down at my sheet and responded "7-18", which is correct. He glared at me, then proceeded to lecture the group about how important it is know actually know the answers, not just have them written down. He said, "You don't want to be out on the wards and someone ask you a question and have to reply 'oh, wait. I've got it here somewhere.' like this girl just did."

Jerk. Was that necessary? No. It was not.

At the break, the four of us explained why we were late and apologized. His response was to tell us how important this topic was and that we will have to work hard to make up what we'd missed (in 7 minutes). "And", says he, "judging by your responses, you do not understand this material."

Seriously, dude. Back to your lab with you. You should not be interacting with other humans. If you are, indeed, human yourself. Jerkface.

This really just contributes to my hatred for acid-base pathophysiology.