Do you have to write any papers in medschool?

[MedSchoolFool]

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Well...I'm a double major in English and Communication and I can tell you..I'm thoroughly disgusted with writing long, boring papers by now. I'm expecting that I'll have to write some even longer, more boring papers in medical school...but I'm also hoping to have these expectation unmet.

So, the main question is...do you guys have to write papers in medschool? The ancillary questions are: If so, do you have to do this regularly, and how long are the papers normally? How much research time do you normally put into a paper at the med school level? And finally, what do you guys know about writing papers during residency? Is this expected of a resident, or does it just depend on the specialty?

OK...those are the burning questions du jour. I'll really appreciate y'alls answers, even if they are as short as a yes or a no. It would be really cool to hear from people at more than one school, too, so as to make comparisons on who presses for the most copy. Thank you very much.

JJ

 

[fever5]

I am not sure in American schools, but at least in Canada , to my knowledge, no essays are required..they are left to the faculty of nursing ;-)

However you may/may not have to prepared presentations for rounds...but I wouldn't call that a paper.

Also some schools may have a mandatory research component, which would involve writting a paper. at any rate I wouldn't expect to be writting a lot of papers unless maybe you were in an MD/PhD program but I know nothing about an MD/PhD program so that is just speculation.

 

[Xanderain]

Well...I'm a double major in English and Communication and I can tell you..I'm thoroughly disgusted with writing long, boring papers by now. I'm expecting that I'll have to write some even longer, more boring papers in medical school...but I'm also hoping to have these expectation unmet.

So, the main question is...do you guys have to write papers in medschool? The ancillary questions are: If so, do you have to do this regularly, and how long are the papers normally? How much research time do you normally put into a paper at the med school level? And finally, what do you guys know about writing papers during residency? Is this expected of a resident, or does it just depend on the specialty?

OK...those are the burning questions du jour. I'll really appreciate y'alls answers, even if they are as short as a yes or a no. It would be really cool to hear from people at more than one school, too, so as to make comparisons on who presses for the most copy. Thank you very much.

JJ

There are always the occasional boring papers for your regular annoying classes (ethics, geriatrics, etc.), but they are few and far between. However, I'm in PBL, and probably every weekend or so, I write a study-guide that is at least 15-20 pages, and on occasion, up to 35 pages. So, it depends alot on how you study, and your cirrculum structure.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Well...I'm a double major in English and Communication and I can tell you..I'm thoroughly disgusted with writing long, boring papers by now. I'm expecting that I'll have to write some even longer, more boring papers in medical school...but I'm also hoping to have these expectation unmet.

So, the main question is...do you guys have to write papers in medschool? The ancillary questions are: If so, do you have to do this regularly, and how long are the papers normally? How much research time do you normally put into a paper at the med school level? And finally, what do you guys know about writing papers during residency? Is this expected of a resident, or does it just depend on the specialty?

OK...those are the burning questions du jour. I'll really appreciate y'alls answers, even if they are as short as a yes or a no. It would be really cool to hear from people at more than one school, too, so as to make comparisons on who presses for the most copy. Thank you very much.

JJ

No.

No required papers in med school.

 

[sophiejane]

You will be DYING to write a paper once you are done with 2 years of multiple choice bubbles, believe me.

I hardly know how to answer questions at all anymore unless I am given choices A-E.

 

[snowhite]

Having just finished grad school, I'm DYING to fill-in multiple choice bubbles. I just finished a 35 page, single-spaced, 10 point font paper and my brain is totally dead. When you guys say that there a very few papers to write, it gives me warm fuzzies inside. 🙂 At least with multiple choice you have a *chance* to get the question right (even if you know just a little) whereas with papers, you either know it or you don't (and to know it of course requires lots of research and studying).

No papers is A-OK with me 👍

 

[sophiejane]

I't not the 25% chance of getting it right when you guess, it's that 50% chance of getting it wrong when you've narrowed it down to 2 possibilites that's the killer every time.

You will come to hate bubbles and love papers once again...take it from one who has also written graduate school papers and has now come full circle after 2 years of medical school...

I would LOVE an essay exam for a change. Usually I know WAY more about the subject than my bubble-choosing ability shows. Multiple choice questions, when well written, can clearly discern whether or not you know the material (unless you always attracted to the ever so tempting "distractors"). The hitch is that they have to be well written. Then consider the fact that the people writing them are likely NOT double majors in English and Communications and you will see my point. 😉

 

[OSUdoc08]

I't not the 25% chance of getting it right when you guess, it's that 50% chance of getting it wrong when you've narrowed it down to 2 possibilites that's the killer every time.

You will come to hate bubbles and love papers once again...take it from one who has also written graduate school papers and has now come full circle after 2 years of medical school...

I would LOVE an essay exam for a change. Usually I know WAY more about the subject than my bubble-choosing ability shows. Multiple choice questions, when well written, can clearly discern whether or not you know the material (unless you always attracted to the ever so tempting "distractors"). The hitch is that they have to be well written. Then consider the fact that the people writing them are likely NOT double majors in English and Communications and you will see my point. 😉

I'd rather take my chances with multiple choice and get the test over with, instead of wasting my time with an essay.

Yes, essays are easier to get at least partial credit on a subject that you don't know about, but I'd rather just get it over with. Fill in the bubbles as quickly as possible so you can get started on the next material.

 

[sophiejane]

Actually, it's not about getting "partial credit" for a subject you don't know about. Essay exams are the exact opposite of that. They are an excellent way to test what you do and don't know. The problem is they take a long time to grade.

I'm more interested in really understanding the material than filling in the bubbles quickly so I can rush on to get a superficial knowledge of the next pile of information.

2nd year allows you more time to really digest and start processing information, and I think would be more suited to essay exams than first year, where it's more about whether you can name the innervation of the small intestine or not.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Actually, it's not about getting "partial credit" for a subject you don't know about. Essay exams are the exact opposite of that. They are an excellent way to test what you do and don't know. The problem is they take a long time to grade.

I'm more interested in really understanding the material than filling in the bubbles quickly so I can rush on to get a superficial knowledge of the next pile of information.

2nd year allows you more time to really digest and start processing information, and I think would be more suited to essay exams than first year, where it's more about whether you can name the innervation of the small intestine or not.

Our school seems to do just fine on boards with just the bubbling.

 

[MedSchoolFool]

I appreciate the dialogue from all of y'all. (yeah...even though I'm a supposed student of letters, I still say y'all, as well as making tons of grammatical and spelling errors) I have to agree with the Snow White avatar person and say it's a relief to realize there may not be any papers to write in medical school. I've had 5 six-page papers, 3 ten-page papers, and 2 lab papers a week, which have averaged 5-6 pages each, (even though everyone else seems to take only about 2 pages for their write ups for these same classes of Biology and Physics) in just this one semester of undergrad classes. That's about 160 pages I've written in 12 weeks. Sheeessshh!!! That's not even accounting for the pages of notes I've created for studying purposes. The lab papers aren't so bad, since the format is very easy to follow, and also some of that space is taken up with charts, graphs, and tables. But I am all written out as far as academics go.

But, at the same time, I do agree that multiple choice is not normally the fairest way of assessing an individual's array of knowledge on a subject. Actually, I don't believe that essay exams are the fairest mode for doing this either. I think that it would be far more reasonalbe to undergo an oral exam, because people should get credit for what they do know, rather than being penalized for what they don't know, or can't readily recall at a given moment. However, with that being said, it's just too damn inconvenient to take time with each and every student and allow them to elaborate on what they have learned in detail.

In the end, I would rather have a multiple choice test than an essay exam. With multiple choice the goal is objective knowledge. With an essay exam you run into too much subjectiveness, because many variables can play into how a professor grades your answer, not least of which are their mood and level of fatigue at the time of looking your essay over. Written tests or assignments should be graded by a panel, rather than by an individual professor, so that hopefully some of the subjective variables could be weeded out. Multiple choice has its problems, too, but I like knowing that the answer is right in front of my eyes and I only have to reason my way to it. The most ideal experience I've had with an exam is when the professor has given out a multiple choice test that had like 120 questions on it and we were responsible for only answering 100 of them. This way we could pick and choose according to which areas we felt strongest in.

Anyway, thanks again so much for your responses on this subject. I'll check back later (days? weeks?) to see if anyone else has added anything. Good luck to everybody on their multiple choice exams.

JJ

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

Actually, it's not about getting "partial credit" for a subject you don't know about. Essay exams are the exact opposite of that. They are an excellent way to test what you do and don't know. The problem is they take a long time to grade.

I'm more interested in really understanding the material than filling in the bubbles quickly so I can rush on to get a superficial knowledge of the next pile of information.

2nd year allows you more time to really digest and start processing information, and I think would be more suited to essay exams than first year, where it's more about whether you can name the innervation of the small intestine or not.

I dont think we've met before, Ms. Condescenion.

 

[sophiejane]

Our school seems to do just fine on boards with just the bubbling.

There's more to it than boards.

We do just fine with bubbles too--that's beside the point. And who is talking about board exams? Essays on board exams is a ridiculous idea--I was talking about 2nd year, and I was just trying to comment that I think there is a place for essay type exams in medical school.