A&P prof's inappropriate response to request for alternative to animal dissection

[sarailyse]

I am taking online A&P II at a community college. The course includes a lab component, though lab is not a requirement for the nursing program to which I have been admitted. I am not squeamish (used to be an EMT), nor do I oppose human cadaver dissection. I do, however, object to animal dissection for ethical reasons. I contacted my professor to request an alternative to the cow eye and heart dissection activities citing my ethical objection to animal dissection, and the fact that I haven't eaten or worn animals for over two decades. I expressed my willingness to engage in an alternate activity, such as an interactive, multimedia software program (we already utilize such software to conduct experiments on virtual lab animals). My request was denied. I was informed that if I chose not to do the dissections, I would be penalized with a deduction in points.

In response to my e-mail asking my professor to reconsider, I received the following reply (excerpt):

Would you tell someone who is badly mangled in a auto accident and bleeding to death that you cannot work on them because you are a vegetarian? I would hope not. If so, then you should choose another career.

My professor also called my ethical opposition to animal dissection into question with the following statement:

I understand being a vegetarian but this assignment does not require you to eat these animal specimens.

I found his message to be inappropriate, offensive, and ridiculous. I would like to obtain some outside perspective and would appreciate any comments you may have about this situation. Thanks.

[nursel56]

So you have no problem working on a human, but have a problem with a cat? Is that what you are saying? Have you ever seen a human cadaver? Think night of the living dead, what I would have given to just work on a cat. It creeped me out like nothing ever did. I made my wife change her choice on her drivers license. It was so undignified to me. I was just creeped out beyond discussion. Feel fortunate to only use a cat.

Way back when this started, the OP explained the reason she had no problem with a human, and would with an animal, is that the human gave prior consent, and an animal cannot do that. That may sound odd to you, but it's an ethical, moral belief.

So are you saying you made your wife take donor status off her driver's license because you were creeped out? That's sort of a flimsy reason to deny a living person the ability to live longer, who wants to live, and can live or have an improved quality of life. When someone decides whether to be a donor or not, I don't think they would change their mind because someone may find the results aesthetically unpleasing.

[PatricParamedic]

back in the ice ages, when the discipline of "paramedics" was squeaky new, the only way to become a medic in southern california was to get yourself sponsored into medical school. mine was ucsd la jolla. we interns showed up for lab one day to be slapped in the face, by the sight of 5 beautiful german shepherds, lying paws up, anesthetized, awaiting our cutting them up and playing with their internal organs. among other little games, we ran courses of isuprel and dopamine; overdosed them with morphine and then reversed the effects with narcan.

it was the worst week of my life, and two of my intern-friends dropped out because they just couldn't take it.

now, 35 years later, i think back to that week, and the mentality of those who believed we needed it. did i dispise my instructors for it? yes. did i do it anyway? yes. was it important? anatomically, absolutely. but emotionally, unquestionably.

i won't try to speak for the broad-spectrum of the nursing profession. that a sensitive pre-nurse might be horrified to dissect a cat is understandable. i have no idea what type of nursing she would like to do. but i can say this: if she does indeed plan to treat patients, she needs to grow about 3 more layers of skin, because - on the gaussian curve of human desease ugliness in her professional future - dissecting a poor cat won't even make "letterman's top ten" on the "horror" scale. disease care is no route for anyone seeking to avoid major discomfort.

in my case, i absolutely hated every minute of toying with the internal, pulsing anatomy of my unconscious dog. but i can assure you, having coped with that experience was absolutely priceless, in my own personal, emotional bank, when airliners fell, when vans full of illegal aliens started flipping over on freeways; when we walked into mcdonalds with the swat team to assess children shot through the chest, with french fries in their hands.

the smartest man i ever knew told me this: "in any quandry between something you want to do and something you don't want to do, the thing you don't want to do is what you undoubtedly should do."

good luck, pre-nurse.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

I know this thread is a little old but I found it interesting. I'm not sure what animals we're going to use in A&P 1 & 2 but we did dissect a cows eye and heart, sheep brain and lungs and we spent several labs on a fetal pig in my bio 2 course. My (awesome) bio 2 professor did tell us that she'd give us an alternative if we had a moral objection but I learned so much. The fetal pigs were donated from a slaughterhouse that would have otherwise disposed of them. That would be more upsetting, for me anyway. I found it fascinating, learning all the organs and systems. I can not imagine these classes not having these components... isn't think was the lab course is all about?

[Phlavyah]

To the OP... the professors response may have been out of line. Unfortunately, during your nursing clinicals, you are most likely run into a plethera of instructors who are just as crass. I'm sorry to say, but you are definitely going to have to get used to that. I'm not saying its right, but how it is... ALOT :-( I'm thinking you chose not to do the Lab component since it wasn't a requirement.

As far as the animal dissection perspective, its sad. It does however give many students a better understanding of how the body functions. I did a year of vet school which included 2 semesters of gross anatomy. I love animals. I had loads of vegan friends. We had to dissect EVERYTHING. There are ways you have to think about things to get around it sometimes. I will say that all the computer modules that we studied from did not compare in the slightest to having real hands on experience. Some animals have died from natural causes are given by families to the program. Parts from others are taken from food manufacturers and the animal would have died regardless for food purposes. Others were homeless, and had most likely been beaten and abused in horrible ways before euthanasia. I can tell you this... watching an animal being abused is a thousand time worse than knowing you are using that animals life for a good purpose. I suggest taking reverance in the life that was given and using it to educate yourself to your highest extent, because unfortunately, no matter how strongly you feel, it is GOING to happen. Make the most of the animals life that was taken. Its very very sad, but developing coping mechanisms is a necessity. You are going to see MUCH more sad and horrible situations in nursing that you will have no control over.

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