Using what you "learned"

[serencavalier]

I cant help but wonder how much of what medical students "learn" (aka memorize and later forget) is actually usefull to them when they start their practice. Do they need all the physiology or histology facts and figures they tried so hard to memorize for 4 years?
Finally, this leads me to wonder if the way medical schools are run these days are conducive to the corresponding careers their students later go out to master?

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[SoulRFlare]

I think the point is to immerse the student in the world of medicine. In other words, its not all supposed to sink in...rather you are to sink into it.
think of it another way...what better way to learn a foreign language than to live in the country where it's spoken? there's a lot to be said for feeling comfortable with the language, even if you don't know every word that's ever been defined and recorded. to take the analogy one step further--knowing, or at least being familiar with archaic roots (from latin for example) goes a long way to helping one learn the language more quickly and efficiently.
so i guess i'd say that what's important is the process of learning the material...of immersing yourself in it, whether or not you will ever look at another histo slide in your professional life...

 

[idq1i]

Originally posted by serencavalier
I cant help but wonder how much of what medical students "learn" (aka memorize and later forget) is actually usefull to them when they start their practice. Do they need all the physiology or histology facts and figures they tried so hard to memorize for 4 years?
Finally, this leads me to wonder if the way medical schools are run these days are conducive to the corresponding careers their students later go out to master?

I had similar concerns before starting. Now, half-way through my 1st year, I'm starting to see the philosophy of medical schools. I like to call it the "bucket approach":

Med schools toss a bucket-load of info at you. Some sticks, some rolls off. Sometime after, a similar bucket gets tossed at you. Some more info sticks......repeat cycle for 4 years+residency. Even though you remember little after your first exposure, you will actually end up retaining almost all of the info by the end of your residency

 

[ewing]

Originally posted by idq1i
I had similar concerns before starting. Now, half-way through my 1st year, I'm starting to see the philosophy of medical schools. I like to call it the "bucket approach":

Med schools toss a bucket-load of info at you. Some sticks, some rolls off. Sometime after, a similar bucket gets tossed at you. Some more info sticks......repeat cycle for 4 years+residency. Even though you remember little after your first exposure, you will actually end up retaining almost all of the info by the end of your residency

Sounds legit. So here's a follow-up question: does it stick better because you're relearning the same material, or because you become a more effective at consuming information and remembering useful details?

I'm asking because a med student I know told me that "memory is like a muscle"...and I think I'm pretty "out of shape" from undergrad since I never bothered memorizing anything, and basically got by on the seat of my pants by tryng to understand underlying concepts. It worked better in physics (where we got a formula sheet) than in orgo (where we didn't), but I never really bothered altering my learning/studying style.

I'm thinking I may have to make some adjustments for med school, though.

Any thoughts?

 

[idq1i]

Originally posted by ewing
Sounds legit. So here's a follow-up question: does it stick better because you're relearning the same material, or because you become a more effective at consuming information and remembering useful details?

I'm asking because a med student I know told me that "memory is like a muscle"...and I think I'm pretty "out of shape" from undergrad since I never bothered memorizing anything, and basically got by on the seat of my pants by tryng to understand underlying concepts. It worked better in physics (where we got a formula sheet) than in orgo (where we didn't), but I never really bothered altering my learning/studying style.

I'm thinking I may have to make some adjustments for med school, though.

Any thoughts?

It's probably a little of both, although I think that "the same material" plays a bigger role.

You will get a mega crash course in "memory fitness" in the first week of school, and you will have to change your learning style. There is very little thinking involved. It is all about you, the book, and lots of time. Physiology is probably the only exception.