It’s a ritual so common among medical students that it would be cliche--if it weren’t so solemn. 

For some medical students, the experience of anatomy lab--when the medical student first pulls back the shroud on a body donated for study--marks the boundary that separates physicians from lay persons. For some medical students, it’s their first tactile exposure to the magical inner workings of the human body. For some, it’s a first shared team experience, working together with colleagues just met.

Though much of the experience of anatomy lab is relatively similar across medical schools, for each individual, that first moment is a unique one.

79. The gateway to med school: anatomy lab

AMSA ad lib is the American Medical Student Association's podcast, bringing together the intimate perspectives of medical students and experts on topics ranging from specialty selection and personal finance to technological developments in medicine's near future.