Taking it to the classroom

At our first class, I warned my Anatomy & Physiology students that they would be seeing some pictures of kayaks and that they could earn extra credits on a quiz by answering a question about the sport (no loss of points for missing it). I didn't have to tell them that the lecturer would also subject them to some corny humor.

Last evening I gave them a session on medical terminology and the need for precise use of terms. For instance, when a patient says that their stomach hurts we cannot know exactly what that means. On the other hand, if we know the pain is in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen we can begin to narrow things down. During the evening I asked them,


"Is this a skull or a scull?" Seeing the two words juxtaposed made them stop and think just how the word was spelled (it is my skull in a neoprene cap while I scull...and digress).

Then I asked them,

"Is this a sign or a symptom?" (JB providing the visual lesson).

Answer: It is a sign of a bad symptom.

Paddle safe...

DS