Can you succeed in medical school with a weak memory?

[shinbeats]

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I was reading through Anatomy books and Pharmacology books today. Quite frankly they seemed to be courses powered by mostly memory. My main dilemma is that my memory is not the best. I find it very hard to remember random names, phone numbers and details. For me it's more about understanding things in the whole picture which is why I was actually able to succeed in Biology. Biology to me seemed like a big story. I was wondering is it truly possible to succeed in medical school with a weak memory? I consider myself more of a critical thinker, I was able to score in the low 30s on the MCAT but trust me it really didn't have much to do with raw memory. I want honest opinions,advice from current medical students and Physicians please. Thanks for your time in advance.

 

[Doctopus]

It's hard to succeed in medical school without a good memory. Memorization is probably the thing emphasized most -- you will be tested on minute details (not your understanding of the big picture) on your pre-clinical tests, and attendings will pimp you on details too (form what I hear -- I'm a 1st year). Step1 is fairly detail-oriented too, especially compared to other standardized tests. Whereas, for instance, law school will grade you on your ability to tie together big picture concepts, and--perhaps--econ/engineering/physics grad school will test you on your IQ/ability to do very difficult math, med school has fairly simple concepts and tons of stuff to memorize....

that said lots of people have better memories than they realize (they are just lazier/don't go over the material as often as some of their peers). And there are great programs out there like Anki and GunnerTraining that sort of take the pressure off you in that regard, forcing u to review material again and again....

 

[PrideNeverDie]

sounds like you are trying to find excuses for why you didn't make it. the memory one is pretty common for those people who had families with a lot of pressure on them to become doctors and have to face them every family reunion or the ones who told you the amazing specialty they were going in your freshman year of college, but flunked out first semester.

i have pretty terrible recall, but my solution is to work harder and don't give myself a convenient out by using my lack of memory as an excuse. sometimes i get upset because i put a lot of time into a subject and didn't get the score i want, but sometimes i surprise myself by doing better than i thought too.

 

[fiznat]

that said lots of people have better memories than they realize (they are just lazier/don't go over the material as often as some of their peers)

This. I also seem to have a lot of trouble remembering people's names, routine stuff etc etc. I'm not having any problem (well, no more problem than my peers) remembering what I need to know for med school classes. You won't know until you try I suppose, but I suspect it has a lot more to do with the work you put in rather than some perceived limitation in memory.

 

[alysp13751]

I am terrible at remembering ppls names and numbers etc, but then I do good in school? I do not think it is related, sometimes you just put your attention in the things you want to, and med school is not for super smart people, it is about working hard. period

 

[mjl1717]

I am terrible at remembering ppls names and numbers etc, but then I do good in school? I do not think it is related, sometimes you just put your attention in the things you want to, and med school is not for super smart people, it is about working hard. period

I totally agree.👍

 

[shinbeats]

Thank you all for your great responses. I was hoping to get more opinions!

BUMP....

 

[OneTyme]

Thank you all for your great responses. I was hoping to get more opinions!

BUMP....

When I started MS1 earlier this year I had what I would NOW consider and incredibly weak memory. Sure I was good at remembering a few basic rules and working with in them, (I 😍 physics!) but I was horrible at this anatomy BS. I mean, just gawd awful at remembering all these stupid latin/greek/whatever terms. Worse yet, we have "oral anatomy exams" in my program where they ask things like, "Onetyme, please describe to us the origin, course, termination, function, and all the branches of cranial nerves 4-6." Then you have to go about talking about the *#$&%&#^ subject in front of you classmates.

The trigeminal nerve can KMA by the way.

At any rate, I just worked on improving my memory on day at a time. Now I am totally killing it. Due to some unforeseen circumstances our biochem class had to double it's speed this semester, we are doing all 8 weeks of biochem in 3.5 weeks while all our other courses are still at the same speed. It is pretty brutal but I have found what works for me and I stick to it no matter what.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, anybody with enough gumption can do this medical school thing. I've taken to telling people there are two types of medical students, those that are really smart and those, like me, that are just too stupid to quit.

 

[2012mdc]

I was reading through Anatomy books and Pharmacology books today. Quite frankly they seemed to be courses powered by mostly memory. My main dilemma is that my memory is not the best. I find it very hard to remember random names, phone numbers and details. For me it's more about understanding things in the whole picture which is why I was actually able to succeed in Biology. Biology to me seemed like a big story. I was wondering is it truly possible to succeed in medical school with a weak memory? I consider myself more of a critical thinker, I was able to score in the low 30s on the MCAT but trust me it really didn't have much to do with raw memory. I want honest opinions,advice from current medical students and Physicians please. Thanks for your time in advance.

I don't have the best memory either. I figured out that going through the material quickly 4 or 5 times and integrating questions and making notes from the questions was a lot more efficient than going through material slowly once or twice and trying to committ to memory. I would read a chapter slow and highlight and get to the end of it and not remember that much afterward. Questions are the best way for me to get myself to remember something. Everyone is different but you may want to spend less time on your first passes on material and more time doing questions.

One of the hardest things about med school is figuring out the right study system that will maximize your efficiency because of the wealth of material. Improve your study skills and work hard and you will be fine

 

[necoli]

I was reading through Anatomy books and Pharmacology books today. Quite frankly they seemed to be courses powered by mostly memory. My main dilemma is that my memory is not the best. I find it very hard to remember random names, phone numbers and details. For me it's more about understanding things in the whole picture which is why I was actually able to succeed in Biology. Biology to me seemed like a big story. I was wondering is it truly possible to succeed in medical school with a weak memory? I consider myself more of a critical thinker, I was able to score in the low 30s on the MCAT but trust me it really didn't have much to do with raw memory. I want honest opinions,advice from current medical students and Physicians please. Thanks for your time in advance.

You will need to learn how to memorize. The is an enormous amount of information that you will be expected to know well enough to integrate it in a clinical setting. Most do struggle to keep up, and the only way people succeed is by understanding how they learn best (notecards, making your own quizzes, going to lectures,etc) and by working hard. You will just need to figure out what works best for you.

 

[JohnCarterIIIDO]

I guess what I'm trying to say is, anybody with enough gumption can do this medical school thing. I've taken to telling people there are two types of medical students, those that are really smart and those, like me, that are just too stupid to quit.

👍

 

[druggeek]

I don't find remembering names specifically reflects your memory accurately... I myself will remember details of conversations with so many people over the years, but very often won't remember someone's name (almost always cause I never pay close attention for some reason.....lol).

 

[mauberley]

I was reading through Anatomy books and Pharmacology books today. Quite frankly they seemed to be courses powered by mostly memory. My main dilemma is that my memory is not the best. I find it very hard to remember random names, phone numbers and details. For me it's more about understanding things in the whole picture which is why I was actually able to succeed in Biology. Biology to me seemed like a big story. I was wondering is it truly possible to succeed in medical school with a weak memory? I consider myself more of a critical thinker, I was able to score in the low 30s on the MCAT but trust me it really didn't have much to do with raw memory. I want honest opinions,advice from current medical students and Physicians please. Thanks for your time in advance.

I would surmise that you're simply missing the context for the facts you'll pick up in anatomy and pharmacology. There are stories in anatomy and pharmacology just as in other areas of biology.

 

[chinsucl]

Adapt or die

 

[Jakstatkin]

bumb

 

[ShenanigansMD]

I would think that good grades in any biology course would prove your worth for medical school.

 

[Nuel]

I am terrible at remembering ppls names and numbers etc, but then I do good in school? I do not think it is related, sometimes you just put your attention in the things you want to, and med school is not for super smart people, it is about working hard. period

I agree with this.

 

[Claudin]

You'll get used to anatomy because a lot of the stuff just makes sense after a while. Pharmacology, on the other hand, is hard to learn. You have to memorize random drug names (which are not English words) in addition to their mechanisms. I don't have a good memory either, and I survived undergrad. Not sure about med school though

 

[La Presse]

I am still an undergrad, but I bet you can easily overcome a weak memory by simply reinforcing the material more, not drinking alcohol as much, and making use of supplements. Worked for me.

 

[Neurophage]

I was reading through Anatomy books and Pharmacology books today. Quite frankly they seemed to be courses powered by mostly memory. My main dilemma is that my memory is not the best. I find it very hard to remember random names, phone numbers and details. For me it's more about understanding things in the whole picture which is why I was actually able to succeed in Biology. Biology to me seemed like a big story. I was wondering is it truly possible to succeed in medical school with a weak memory? I consider myself more of a critical thinker, I was able to score in the low 30s on the MCAT but trust me it really didn't have much to do with raw memory. I want honest opinions,advice from current medical students and Physicians please. Thanks for your time in advance.

Don't underestimate the plasticity of the brain. Just because you're not good at something now doesn't mean you can't drastically improve your ability.

 

[Fivo]

I am still an undergrad, but I bet you can easily overcome a weak memory by simply reinforcing the material more, not drinking alcohol as much, and making use of supplements. Worked for me.

You ridin' the bicycle?

 

[sliceofbread136]

Try being less of a ***** OP and you might make it!👍

 

[mimelim]

Rote memorization will get you better scores. It will not make or break you becoming a physician. You have to be a good learner, understand why you are learning what you are. Having a good memory is an asset, but certainly is not mandatory.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Memory isn't as important as effective study strategies.

 

[abracadabraone]

there are books on how to remember things. consider checking one out from the library at your school, and following its suggestions.

 

[tn4596]

If you can't handle med school, you will be weeded out thru grades and mcat before you ever set foot in an interview so...


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