Georgia Highlands College Allied Health students offered unique opportunity to view autopsy
By Jennifer Allen
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Assistant Editor
Why were Georgia Highlands College Allied Health students hanging out in the GBI Crime Lab during an autopsy?
On Jan. 28, 11 students from Georgia Highlands College went to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Atlanta for a firsthand experience in human anatomy.
This was the first of seven trips scheduled throughout the semester. Eleven students and one staff member will attend each autopsy for a total of 84 participants this semester.
These trips are designed primarily for students enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology I or II and microbiology students. However, a few criminal justice majors are also participating.
Sharryse Henderson, biology instructor and coordinator of the trips, said that although FC laboratories are well equipped with models, slides and specimen, instructors are continually searching for new techniques that will give students a more fascinating and rewarding experience.
Henderson commented that the initial idea for the trips came from a conversation she had with some students in her anatomy and physiology lab.
She was explaining to them how different the look, texture and color of tissues and organs are on a fresh specimen as compared to that of a preserved cat, which is what anatomy and physiology students typically dissect.
After the first trip Henderson said that the experience �was very positive for all the students that went.� She also commented that the trip was �more than she expected,� in that they were able to actually go into the autopsy room and identify organs on the cadaver.
Students were able to witness one full autopsy and two partial ones, and they spent a total of two and a half hours at the GBI Crime Lab.
"It was very educational and was great to see the different locations of the organs and what they looked like. It gives you a different perspective on the human body," said Lena Payne, a nursing major.
Henderson believes that these trips provide students with an incomparable experience that cannot be obtained in a laboratory setting. For many students it is a once in a lifetime chance that will ultimately help tie their coursework together.
While the trip is not currently a required part of the curriculum, Henderson hopes that it will be ongoing and that someday it will be incorporated into the allied health curriculum.
There is a $10 transportation fee for those attending. However, there is no fee to actually view the autopsy.
Because the trip was a success and the spots to attend were highly competitive, Henderson hopes to offer two more trips in May. However, a final decision about that has not yet been made.
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