Students at Valencia College in Florida forced to undergo vaginal probes in classroom

[Bronzeage]

No.
The grade awarded in a course reflects a students performance and mastery of the material. It is not compensation for being a classroom fixture. Disclosing that students are required to submit to a medical procedure before class starts does not change the nature of the exchange. If the class is a required credit for graduation, there is no choice.

As for no one being forced to attend the school, I doubt the application form includes a warning that students will be expected to submit to pelvic exams by fellow students. "Informed consent" requires information.

You are aware this class is training people to give medical exams?

Yeah, I got that.

As I said in a previous post, this will probably come to nothing. No university is going to put itself in the position of being seen as coercing students into submitting to an invasive examination.

 

[TV and credit cards]

To have a student experience what they are going to experience or have others experience in their profession is common in a learning environment. Actual participation is always better than simulation. If it enhances training and does not cause physical pain, it should be part of the curriculum. It is part of your job to put your patient at ease. What better way than to know what they are about to go through? If you are of the opposite sex and could not experience the procedure, you are at a disadvantage.
From the story, this appears to have been done in an unprofessional manner. No other student and certainly no instructor should make an improper comment. I have been in such a course where student embarrassment was a concern. It was stated up front, anyone making an improper comment would be dropped from the class immediately.

 

[krypton iodine sulfur]

What better way than to know what they are about to go through? If you are of the opposite sex and could not experience the procedure, you are at a disadvantage.

As an unqualified opinion, I'd say it's probably a worse way of learning. It doesn't represent the reality of practising these procedures on others. People are variable and their responses and feelings toward a given procedure will vary too. Your individual response isn't necessarily informative, and could even result in some bias in some cases. Perhaps it would help establish some sympathy for patients, but if you can't sort out that some patients are going to be pretty uncomfortable with a procedure like this, you might not be firing on all cylinders. Ultimately, if patient comfort is a priority for you as a doctor, I'd think you would have to learn to treat individuals without being able to directly experience what they experience. That's something which would come with practice, consideration, and sensitivity (although sometimes those things may be luxuries when it comes to medicine; I don't know myself).

From the story, this appears to have been done in an unprofessional manner. No other student and certainly no instructor should make an improper comment. I have been in such a course where student embarrassment was a concern. It was stated up front, anyone making an improper comment would be dropped from the class immediately.

That part makes sense to me. I get informality and levity have their place in learning, but there are times to conduct oneself with more discipline. There are times where it can be said 'take this seriously or gtfo'.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Second this. To the extent practical I think all of the hands-on people should be required to be on the other end of invasive tests so they understand what their patients are going through. Without that I've seen too much disregard for patient's comfort. So few doctors care about things like cold instruments.

I'd have my doubts this is a particularly effective or reliable method to accomplish that goal. It also creates a gender discrepancy in cases such as these.

Yeah, with a test like this half the students can't experience it anyway. As I said, to the extent practical.