Knowledge of medical exams

I am interested to know the different ways members studied, practiced, learned about doing a variety of medical exams.

When I first thought about playing the role of doctor, I read as much medical literature as I could lay my hands on, and researched extensively on the internet. A good colleague on this board provided me with links to a number of instructional videos which were available online.

From these sources I made extensive notes so as to be well prepared when going into an examination. When you start off, the chances are that your "patients" will be more experienced in their roles than you are, and will know more about the conditions and symptoms which they will be presenting to you.

Having said all that, the real learning begins when you start to practice.

^^^^ Ditto all of the above.

Thanks for the detailed message woodpecker and your response ladydocism

I did lots of research online and watched a lot of examination videos on YouTube as well. And I have also had the great privilege of learning about exam techniques from several real life physicians, PA's, NP's and RN's.

I first got my education from the medical textbooks that my mother had around the house. When my mother was very ill my senior year in high school, one of the nurses would explain things to me and taught me to auscultate. Then, when I was in college, I worked in two hospitals and a few of the physicians kindly gave me some instruction and some “hands on” experience. And after college, there was the physical exam class in school.

I remember my past exams when I was a child/teenager. I also went to nursing school and worked in a private pediatricians office for a few years but no longer practice and with some research in the internet, I can role play a good doctor but I can do both, I can be the perfect patient or a good doctor.

Okay...so who wants to play? LOL.

Way back when my medfet started as a young teenager, well before the interwebs, I read medical textbooks and related material in the library. (The brick building stuffed with a bunch of books, next to the town hall, for all you young whippersnappers who might be wondering). One book in particular, the “Teenage Body Book”, really caught my attention. I read that one many times. It went into great detail what a teenage girl can expect as part of a physical, from the breast exam to a play by play of a pelvic exam, including how a rectal exam may be included as part of the pelvic exam. I read that section over and over. That book really cemented my medfet, gynecological exams in particular. I was so fascinated by the whole idea that many of the girls my age were probably experiencing their first pelvic exams. It really sparked my imagination, imagining the cute, attractive girls in my class putting their feet in the stirrups! The book also detailed what a teenage boy can expect as part of a physical.

When online videos became widely available, I then got to watch many female physicals and pelvic exams. Now learning how to give a proper play exam is easy!

I too bought med texts (thanks early amazon) and spent hours in the college library reading the nursing magazines

Like @rabidbiker I started in my late teens by reading medical books in the public library, purely for research of course but I expected the staff knew differently! Through reading these books and a few years later learning the details of real life examinations first hand from girlfriends, I got a knowledge of what went on during an intimate female examination and what instruments were used and to some extent how. I only had a very basic 'doctor's bag' at first, a few plastic speculums, some latex gloves, and a tube of lubricating gel. But I met with two women over the next year and it went very well, both women asked to see me again. My third patient was a real life nurse, a senior ward sister, I met with her a number of times and she gave me hands on training. She showed me how to use the speculum properly, how to locate the cervix, how to do a smear test, how to use a catheter safely. And just some general tips like putting a pillow under the woman's bottom to raise the hips to make finding the cervix easier. She was a mine of information that one. That was back in 2005 and since then I have gained lots of real life experience with other women and now I have a much more complete 'doctor's bag.' And of course nowadays there are lots of instructional videos you can check out if you so wish...

Physical exam class in med school.

As a kid before the internet, I spent alot of time in the library reading medical texts and anything related to doctors & nurses. And looking up the various new terms in the dictionary. I remember the first time I looked up enema, I could not believe such a thing was even possible and couldn't imagine who these people were whose job it was to give them to other people. I never had enemas as a kid.

Teen girl magazines always had a your first gyno exam article every few months growing up

Teen girl magazines always had a your first gyno exam article every few months growing up

My younger sister had a subscription to “Seventeen” magazine when she was in high school. She would often leave the latest edition on the coffee table in the living room, and if I noticed one of the headlines on the cover mention anything about medical tests or exams, I would read it (and admire the cute teen girls inside the pages modeling clothes) when I would be home alone. Which was often as my parents worked a lot of hours, and my sister played sports and had practice often after school. I imagined those cute young ladies modeling in the magazine having their feet in the stirrups and having a pelvic exam after reading an article detailing what to expect during said pelvic exam!