Any time you need to interpret a waveform or trend data, you will benefit from a functional understanding of calculus. The example last night was a patient on a ventilator and even with 2 extra years of training, much of which was ICU as an R2, simply understanding the concept of the area under a curve and what it means meant that I was better equipped to manage a patient than them. Pressure tracings are another area, probably a couple others I could come up with as well.
As far as data trending, you will notice that the concept of a second derivative is lost on many. They understand that a drop in hemoglobin is bad, but they can't make as accurate predictions as others who understand basic calculus. It is subtle, but it is clear that people who took the minimal prerequisites are at a clear disadvantage when it comes to being a very good doctor.
This applies to anyone who does any critical care. That includes, but is in no way limited to EVERY IM, surgery, pediatric, and neurology resident that trains in this country. That makes up the lions share of the residents in this country.
I don't want there to be any confusion. Being able to integrate or take a derivative isn't useful outside of medical physics/rad onc and maybe some radiology. But, this is no different than the fact that nothing you learn CONTENT WISE in ANY undergrad biology, chemistry, biochemistry, orgo etc will help you as a physician. Many of those classes will teach you how to think and give you skills that will make you a better doctor. Will you be a doctor, not get sued and probably never notice your deficiency? Yes. But that doesn't mean that others aren't going to benefit from understanding at a higher level.
Also, couldn't disagree more about calculus based giving a stronger overview of the concepts. Maybe I just had a really good algebra-based teacher, but the fact that they make the concepts simpler in algebra based and it isn't cluttered with math made it much easier for me to understand. But again maybe my algebra-based was different than yours.
You can not understand Physics without calculus. Sorry, but you can't. Anyone that has studied a reasonable amount of Physics knows this. You are essentially learning Physics from the 1700s and then memorizing formulas derived later. The formulas are irrelevant to modern clinical medical practice. If by made the concepts easier, they helped you memorize formulas easier, then yes, it did, but I think you are missing the fact that algebra based introductory Physics doesn't actually teach concepts. It tells you formulas that hold true most of the time and then tells you to apply them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
I am in no way saying that pre-meds shouldn't take algebra based Physics. Many students can not handle calculus based courses, some because they lack the innate ability, but far more commonly, they lack a foundation in basic mathematics and problem solving that facilitates understanding calculus from years of inadequate effort in teaching from elementary school onward. It is pointless to torture yourself with calculus based Physics if you are taking Physics because it is a prerequisite. If you are looking to get an A, do well on the MCAT and get out, then you will hurt yourself by wasting time with other things.
