Agreed. It sounds like we followed the same progression in our thinking process. All that "clinical" stuff in the first two years looks like it should be helpful later on, but it doesn't help much for rotations at all. Maybe it helps a little at the onset so that everything isn't so unfamiliar, but that's about it. You truly learn what need in the wards by doing it for real. There's a particular way each service wants you to do an H&P and to write a note anyway. What you learn in school will only go so far. You learn real fast when you are dealing with truly sick people, not actors or other medical students. Now add a real time crunch. Lastly, I think that all that clinical stuff makes more sense post-boards, when you finally begin to understand the pathophysiology and the pieces of the puzzle start coming together. It helps to know why you are doing what you are doing.
I also agree that spending too much time on "clinical" stuff can be harmful. I mean, it's good to have some because it does add context to what you are learning in the classroom and provides that certain satisfaction that 1st and 2nd year medical students long for, but if the curriculum favors it over the basic sciences, then they are wasting your precious time. I wish my school spent more time and depth on the hardcore basics, especially with respect to the big important ones: physiology, pharmacology, and pathology (pathophysiology in particular). I also found biochemistry and genetics to be weak. I found that when the time came for me to study for my boards, I had to work a bit harder because I felt that I lacked the necessary knowledge. Fortunately, my hard work paid off. I learned what I needed to know mostly by myself, not from classes. Thanks, Rapid Review.
