Career Choices

While shadowing a GP last month, I was introduced to an educational apparatus affectionately referred to as the "box of boxes". The "box" was a blue leather briefcase and the "boxes" were 6 plastic/rubber models of vaginas. The goal of the teaching tool was to give the learner as sense of determining how dilated and effaced a woman's cervix is, measuring only by touch. The back of each model displayed the correct response (e.g. 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced) and while I figured there was no way I would be able to feel anything, I thought I would at least humour the doctor and make an attempt. On went the examining glove and to the sound of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" coming from the waiting room, I proceeded. The first 2 models turned out to be relatively straightforward (as I discovered that 1 fingertip ~= 1cm) but I quickly realized that on some of the plastic models, no matter how far I shoved my hand in, I still couldn't feel anything. Puzzled, the doctor walked over, placed his hand against mine and said, "yup, just as I suspected... you have short hands... perhaps you want to rule out a career in obstetrics". After having a kept a straight face up until this moment, I couldn't help but laugh.