How much would you need to get paid in order to....

[achamess]

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Make a very high quality, modular (20 minutes or less), cross-referenced, online video lesson in a medical subject (or anything academic really)? The corollary to this is, you might not get paid immediately or at all. How much you get paid depends on the quality of your video lesson. How much money would you need to make something like this worth your while?

Here's an example. Let's say there is demand for a lesson on the electrophysiology of the heart. Would you be willing to take time away from your studies and outside life to make a 20 minute video on this subject? You might very well need to do an hour or more of research before you can make the lesson. What price would you need to do this?

If you're wondering about why I'm asking this, it's just a thought I had when I was in class. I thought about how much our tuition goes to these professors who probably slap together their research presentations for a med school lecture. And I thought, how much better could we med students make a lesson, and for what price?

 

[achamess]

Also, if there is anything that would make this proposition more attractive, it'd be good to know. Any ideas or comments welcome.

 

[235009]

If you're wondering about why I'm asking this, it's just a thought I had when I was in class. I thought about how much our tuition goes to these professors who probably slap together their research presentations for a med school lecture. And I thought, how much better could we med students make a lesson, and for what price?

I would trust something "slapped together" by a professor with decades of experience way more than something slapped together by a random med student from wikipedia and up-to-date.

 

[achamess]

I would trust something "slapped together" by a professor with decades of experience way more than something slapped together by a random med student from wikipedia and up-to-date.

Thanks for your input. It's a fair point. For me I think the professors are likely using the same resources as a med student or other graduate student would. I can only speak to what I see in our lectures, but what we get is either rehash from a textbook, or it's lots and lots of of the professor's pet research interests with little clinical relevance. I don't see why a bright and engaged student couldn't do better. I mean, if you use Kaplan or USMLE world, or another test prep service to prepare you for arguably the most important test of your medical career, you're relying on people in your peer group to teach you and not an 'expert' with years and years of experience.

Let's say it's not just med students making these videos. How about PhD candidates? Post-docs?

 

[235009]

Thanks for your input. It's a fair point. For me I think the professors are likely using the same resources as a med student or other graduate student would. I can only speak to what I see in our lectures, but what we get is either rehash from a textbook, or it's lots and lots of of the professor's pet research interests with little clinical relevance. I don't see why a bright and engaged student couldn't do better. I mean, if you use Kaplan or USMLE world, or another test prep service to prepare you for arguably the most important test of your medical career, you're relying on people in your peer group to teach you and not an 'expert' with years and years of experience.

Let's say it's not just med students making these videos. How about PhD candidates? Post-docs?

I will agree with you that many times professors just follow the assigned text book but how is that any different than a med student reading the textbook and summarizing. At least the prof has experience to build on and if he/she is an MD can make clinical correlates. I've heard that at some schools profs talking about their research is an issue and I encountered this in undergrad. Not sure how your school's curriculum is set up but maybe second year it won't be as bad.

As for Kaplan and USMLE World you are very much mistaken. Each has an army of experts who write and revise questions. The online Kaplan course is taught exclusively by faculty from various med schools. I think even the much revered Goljan worked for Kaplan. It's not like the MCAT where some random guy/girl who got a 36 can follow a script and teach you everything you need to know.

Basically my advice to you is: if you feel you aren't getting much out of lectures, be selective about which ones you go to and instead learn it on your own by reading the text book or Robbins or a good review book like Costanzo (for physio) or Lippincott (for biochem). There are already plenty of resources out there to help you succeed.

 

[achamess]

As for Kaplan and USMLE World you are very much mistaken. Each has an army of experts who write and revise questions. The online Kaplan course is taught exclusively by faculty from various med schools. I think even the much revered Goljan worked for Kaplan. It's not like the MCAT where some random guy/girl who got a 36 can follow a script and teach you everything you need to know.

Fair point. Thanks for sharing that info.

Basically my advice to you is: if you feel you aren't getting much out of lectures, be selective about which ones you go to and instead learn it on your own by reading the text book or Robbins or a good review book like Costanzo (for physio) or Lippincott (for biochem). There are already plenty of resources out there to help you succeed.

That's precisely why I'm asking this question. I'm doing EXACTLY that and I love it. I'm just reading Robbins, Goljan, Costanzo, the holy trinity. And I'm learning a ton and I think it's great that I have this freedom. But it makes me wonder about the utility of medical school (pre-clinical education) at least, and I'm curious to see if there might not be some kind of widely accessible parallel resource hub for medical students. That was why I asked my question.

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I don't think I would bother since, like skin said, there are already so many excellent resources - video and otherwise - available for pretty much every subject you could possibly be interested in. Money talks, though, so if someone was looking to drop a bundle of cash on me, I'd be all about rehashing whatever they wanted.

 

[mvenus929]

I would probably be willing to do it, but only because I'd learn the material so much better in the process. As it is, I already send out most of my study guides to the class.