Today in doctoring we went over exam maneuvers for the head, eyes, ears, nose & throat.

It was me and two classmates working with a patient instructor.

The first thing she asked us to do was to palpate and inspect her scalp. "Divide it into quadrants so you're sure not to miss anything."

We all took turns massaging and inspecting her scalp. Afterwards she said "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

Blank stares.

Nice Patient Instructor Lady: "Did you notice this scar?"

She points to a huge scar on the back of her head. Her hair was buzzed short, so it was pretty damn obvious.

Us: "Ohhhhh...."

Nice Patient Instructor Lady: "Did you see that there's a bald spot?"

Okay, now her hair was buzzed so I'm cutting us some slack here. But the idea that I'm supposed to mention to a woman in her 40s that she's going bald is just not something I'm comfortable with. She told us we should ask if that is a recent development. How awkward!