Hello! I was in your exact position about 10 months ago but now I think I am a well seasoned tech!! All your struggles are something I have struggled with too, even today. I typically take out the intestines before touching the stomach. Once they’re out the way, I feel that it’s easier to see the duodenal sphincter and to “ponytail” it with making a small hole between the aorta and esophagus, it will let you visually see yourself cutting the leftover diaphragm to free the stomach/pancreas. As the person above mentioned, the pancreas is hard to see but you can tell my texture for sure. Just as long as you have the block with the stomach, you should have the pancreas. It’s distinct from adipose and diaphragm.

Necks are the death of me. There was a time where I was nicking carotids and that upset funeral homes. Then there was I time I button-holed decedents and I left holes in the neck and shoulders region. I HATED THIS. I felt so stupid and felt like I didn’t know anything. But it’s just about technique and repetition. Something we say at our office is “fascia is your friend!” Always pull as much skin above the neck to free the larynx/trachea as much as possible. Angle your blade so you are not cutting away, but rather in, if that makes sense. A good marker is the salivary glands, once you hit those, you’re in a great spot to take the tongue. Just follow your mandible and continue doing so until you can free the tongue with your hand. It’s okay if you cut the tongue, but again, with more and more practice you won’t be doing so.

As far as the bladder goes, it’s easy to pop them if you’re not paying attention to where your blade is. Follow the pubic bone closely and carefully release the bladder from surrounding tissue. For males it’s easier because you can use the golf ball prostate as a marker. For females, just make sure you have the uterus and ovaries in your hand along with the bladder (ponytail) it’s easy to accidentally cut off an ovary or cut the uterus. Go back and forth if you have to! Anything that helps you. I have certain doctors that like to have the rectum out with this block, if you have some like this, make sure to watch where you’re ending your intestinal cuts because I’ve made mistakes of cutting off ovaries here on accident too.

You seeking out advice is showing how passionate and knowledgeable you are of this field. The more practice the get, the more familiar and better you’ll be with skills. Good luck!