My First Day As A Head TA

What a busy day it had been yesterday! From 8:00am to 11:30am we had lectures. Then from 12pm to 2pm we had ICM. Then from 3:00pm – 9:00pm, the head TAs for this semester in Anatomy Lab handed over their reign to Haley, Arif, and I to serve for the next two semesters. As our first task as the new head TAs, we had the privilege of running the fourth and final mock exam of this semester that evening. More importantly, however, it was a day of learning and adjusting for us as we grow steadily into the mentality of being head TAs.

Yesterday I took on more of the behind-the-scenes responsibilities, like double-checking the questions and answers created by the TAs before the mock, set up the VH dissector questions, and making sure the room is set up properly while Haley did more of the talking to the class. I also learned how to set up the “next,” and got familiar with where the radiographs and other TA resources are. I familiarized myself with all the TA documents (and transferred them onto my computer), learned how to choose new candidate TAs, and read all the student evaluation surveys and discussed ways on ever-improving the TA program for the semesters to come.

Overall, yesterday was an eye-opener for me about how the TA program is organized and by the end of the night, I learned much about what I could do personally to improve my performance as a Head TA to make the lab a better place for everyone. Thanks for being so patient with us yesterday! I look forward to working with all the returning TAs, new TAs, anatomy students, and faculty!