bimanual
more gyn things!
volunteered at the free clinic again. we had a patient who needed a general gyn exam and was super cooperative. i practiced taking the gyn history, which i still need practice with. then we exited the room and as the patient changed, my upperclassman partner said i’d be doing half of the breast exam and a bimanual! :o
i was caught off guard; thought i’d have the luxury of just watching this time but i’m really glad she threw me right in. i was a little more comfortable with the breast exam but we had only trained for the bimanual briefly on mannequins so i was really nervous for that.
i watched my partner do one breast and i did the other, which was fine. then i assisted her with the speculum exam/pap smear. i watched her do the bimanual first, then did it as she coached me. unfortunately i couldn’t feel as much as i thought i would. tried my best to reach the cervix & think i could feel it with the tip of my finger but still wasn’t sure, and her uterus was also hard to palpate. my partner agreed with me on these things though so i guess it wasn’t just me!
overall, i’m just grateful that i had this opportunity. i don’t think it would be possible in most places outside our free clinic. the patient was so understanding when my partner asked if i could examine her as well, and i got to practice a physical exam maneuver that we won’t even learn in class for a while. very thankful! :)
