International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

That day, we were supposed to learn how to examine the heart’s beat

I was exhilarated yet nervous, hoping to learn the basics

Without any hindrance

but sadly, learning isn’t always easy

So, I stood there alone in a crowded room with a trepidatious glee,

Waiting for the professor, in a class post-lunch

Trying to fan away the humidity.

As the clock struck 2, the class went mute

After all, it was the time for the faculty to choose,

our ‘subject’ of the day

who was supposed to lie down on a cracked-green bed,

and be ready, to become our muse.

While poking and prodding the subject was something I tried to avoid

My knowledge of cardiovascular exam remained void

Little did I know, how fast the 4 classes went by,

Without even understanding what the apex beat felt like?

Until one day,

A mannequin lay on the cracked green bed rather than my friend.

Who was planning to run away,

If only they had it, their way

With a simple speaker, inflatable bulbs, and a pumping machine

A mannequin came to life like a human being.

Who knew, palpating and auscultating would be so easy?

At least it prevented my batchmates from feeling a little queasy.

Alternative learning methods catered to our curiosity,

And now, the general cardiovascular examination wasn’t just a ‘signed competency’.

But rather a ‘developed skill’, that helped us understand the beat

Of the human heart, which pumps at a speed

Only a few trained hands can perceive.