The second year of medical school in India is highly unusual for a couple of different reasons. The first is that it’s actually one and a half years and only just one year. The courses in second year include the standard microbiology, pharmacology, and pathology. In addition, Forensics Medicine and Toxicology (FMT) and Community medicine (PSM) are additional subjects.
Thus, the second year of M.B.B.S. consists of four main courses. The Community Medicine technically gets introduced slightly in the first year, continues into the second year, and finishes in third year. FMT was one of the most interesting topics. The test book was five times smaller than Robbin’s Pathology. Also because I got to take a course that’s applicable in many areas. I do not think I’d be able to take FMT in America unless I purposely sought out an elective independently.
FM ranged from both the interpretation and writing of death certificates and reports. They describe incidents ranging from domestic abuse to purposeful suicide and the solutions regarding an ongoing investigation. Because of this many topics are tied in to emergency medicine. For example, some of the exams consisted of identifying weapons that ranged from knives and daggers to firearms and ammo. The tie-in to emergency medicine and surgery included identifying whether a particular weapon could cause a certain type of injury (I.e. blunt trauma vs penetrating trauma).
An example…
For example, you would get one minute to analyze an X-ray where it shows a bullet wound. From there your answer would have to describe the type of firearm and ammo. Next the site of the lesion, the complications, and the best step in management. The reason I found this cool was because it’s applicable to things that take place in pop culture media such as law and order.
Crime scenes and the proper procedure were taught such as some of the stuff that occurs in Dexter when he is doing civilian jobs. The forensics was most interesting to me because during this time I was playing Batman Arkham Knight on my PS4. In some missions the challenge was to use x ray, CT scans, and MRI technology via Batman’s cowl to identify certain injuries. The injuries such as fractures in ahumerus or gun powder residue at a crime scene are the clues to track down the villain. I feel like FMT should and could be incorporated into a full video game. The protagonist is a detective such as Batman or Sherlock Holmes in order for students to learn clinical anatomy.
I hope this happens sooner than later. With all the advancements in technology, video games are the biggest media conglomerate right now. The most they have ever attempted is teaching typing and math to elementary school students. The point is making studying more interactive would help make learning funnier and easier. I hope this occurs sooner than later.
Where AAA studios that have a budget enough to make a financially profitable game that can at the same time make graduate studies enjoyable. It’s unfortunate that most medical students don’t get to have this experience! Especially if they want to further pursue a profession in this semi-unknown field. It seems to be more prevalent in developing countries possibly due to the larger population size and certain procedures are differently carried out in India.