Dessicated Students
In the Olden Days, when I was a student, we went to University and went to a lecture or two and then we had lunch and had a drink with it. Then in the afternoon we had some more lectures, and perhaps had a tea break, and another drink. Then we went home.
It's not like that for students these days, it seems.
Oh, no. Walking across a campus somewhere in England the other day, I noticed that almost every student is carrying a bottle of water or Coke or something. In amongst their conversations they take the occasional swig, in case they dehydrate completely before their next lecture. and in case their dessicated bodies are found the next morning on the ground.
Yes, yes, I know, we're all supposed to drink lots of water. But this isn't the Sahara - it's Britain, for goodness' sake. In January. Oh, God, Carruthers! The heat! The heat! - - Not.
For some reason, I find this constant drinking (and I don't mean alcohol!) vaguely disturbing - they all seem to have those sports bottles which make them look like giant babies sucking at the teat.
But, hey, live and let live, and perhaps they would think that the embroidered flares that I used to wear were a bit strange.
Then, last week, there was one medical student who was constantly sucking at her bottle of some soft drink or other, all the way through a teaching session. Sluuuuuuuurp. Sluuuuuuurp.
I was in role playing a patient so couldn't do a thing about it, and the lecturer in charge of the session just ignored it.
Sarcastic comments were springing to my lips and being quelled before I said them, all the way through the session. I think the combination of a strong desire to pour it over her head and the realisation that, because I was in role, I couldn't do ANYTHING AT ALL, brought out the Old Schoolmarm in me and I think my blood pressure went up by about ten points.
If I had been in charge of this group of students, I would have asked her politely but firmly to put the bottle away, the first time it made its appearance. And then I would have pointed out, jovially but with just a hint of incipient psychopath, that any further comestibles that appeared would be held to belong to me, okay?
And then, if necessary, the next route would have been along the lines of "This is really quite a tricky course, to train as a doctor. So if you don't think that you have the concentration for it, could you please leave now?"
Of course, students like this are in the minority - and it's the lecturer who sets the tone anyway, and who should be giving out the message that Up with This We Will Not Put. Though some don't ever need to do that, because their classes are so inspiring - and thank goodness, there are plenty of those where I work.
It's not like that for students these days, it seems.
Oh, no. Walking across a campus somewhere in England the other day, I noticed that almost every student is carrying a bottle of water or Coke or something. In amongst their conversations they take the occasional swig, in case they dehydrate completely before their next lecture. and in case their dessicated bodies are found the next morning on the ground.
Yes, yes, I know, we're all supposed to drink lots of water. But this isn't the Sahara - it's Britain, for goodness' sake. In January. Oh, God, Carruthers! The heat! The heat! - - Not.
For some reason, I find this constant drinking (and I don't mean alcohol!) vaguely disturbing - they all seem to have those sports bottles which make them look like giant babies sucking at the teat.
But, hey, live and let live, and perhaps they would think that the embroidered flares that I used to wear were a bit strange.
Then, last week, there was one medical student who was constantly sucking at her bottle of some soft drink or other, all the way through a teaching session. Sluuuuuuuurp. Sluuuuuuurp.
I was in role playing a patient so couldn't do a thing about it, and the lecturer in charge of the session just ignored it.
Sarcastic comments were springing to my lips and being quelled before I said them, all the way through the session. I think the combination of a strong desire to pour it over her head and the realisation that, because I was in role, I couldn't do ANYTHING AT ALL, brought out the Old Schoolmarm in me and I think my blood pressure went up by about ten points.
If I had been in charge of this group of students, I would have asked her politely but firmly to put the bottle away, the first time it made its appearance. And then I would have pointed out, jovially but with just a hint of incipient psychopath, that any further comestibles that appeared would be held to belong to me, okay?
And then, if necessary, the next route would have been along the lines of "This is really quite a tricky course, to train as a doctor. So if you don't think that you have the concentration for it, could you please leave now?"
Of course, students like this are in the minority - and it's the lecturer who sets the tone anyway, and who should be giving out the message that Up with This We Will Not Put. Though some don't ever need to do that, because their classes are so inspiring - and thank goodness, there are plenty of those where I work.
posted by Daphne at 7:02 pm
7 Comments:
Unless your role required you to pretend to be comatose or under the effects of an anesthetic, what was it exactly that prevented you from saying something in that situation? I know plenty of people, some of them blood relatives, who wouldn't have hesitated for two seconds.
Is it a result of having the "stiff upper lip" for which Britons are famous?
No, it's not the stiff upper lip at all, RWP. It's simply that I was doing the roleplay with one student - not the drinking girl - and the others were supposed to be watching and making notes (and most do - this group were in the minority). So as far as the patient I was playing was concerned, the observers didn't exist. So I couldn't speak to them.
So - to put it simply - you didn't have the bottle to tell her to get rid of her bottle! You bottled it!
Well my college days weren't like that, Daphne. I don't remember ever having as few as 2 lectures in a day!
Medical students should know better. The marketing driven trend for constantly sucking on water (promoted by the bottled water beverage corporations such as Coca Cola) is based of pseudoscience. If anything, it may be harmful
http://www.6minutes.com.au/articles/z1/view.asp?id=204433
I remember carrying such a water bottle around with me all the time when I was a student. I used to feel I needed it, probably due to the fact that I was constantly hung over from going out every night on the lash.
I don't get the chance now to stand around drinking water. As a nurse Im lucky if I get 3 cups of tea over a 13 hour shift! I wouldn't be surprised if my kidneys have shrivelled to the size of raisins by now!
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