How useful is having a tutor in medical school?

[LongApple]

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My instinct is that it is not useful. My instinct is tutoring is only useful in problem set/ puzzle type classes where you might get genuinely stuck on an engineering problem or quantum physics problem or something. Then a tutor can help you get unstuck so you can make progress on the problem.

Do you know anyone who has had a tutor for medical school classes?

Do you agree with me?

 

[Oso]

It would probably have been extremely helpful to have someone sit down and explain everything to me. But Idk how that would even be possible. I guess I don't agree with you . Also why are you talking about quantum physics and are you even in medical school

 

[puahate]

It would probably have been extremely helpful to have someone sit down and explain everything to me. But Idk how that would even be possible. I guess I don't agree with you . Also why are you talking about quantum physics and are you even in medical school

OP is not in med school

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

yeah i found a tutor really helpful for my quantum physics rotation. never would've gotten my attending's pimp questions right without it

 

[atomi]

And who exactly are you going to get to tutor you? Successful graduates of medical school go on to be practicing physicians, not tutors. The few grads of medical school with nothing more profitable to do you might be able to talk into tutoring you are probably the least qualified ones to do so.

Although with enough money you can buy anything, but to buy effective tutoring for Med school you’d probably have to be in the 6 figure range.

 

[trapperjohn4077]

And who exactly are you going to get to tutor you? Successful graduates of medical school go on to be practicing physicians, not tutors. The few grads of medical school with nothing more profitable to do you might be able to talk into tutoring you are probably the least qualified ones to do so.

Although with enough money you can buy anything, but to buy effective tutoring for Med school you’d probably have to be in the 6 figure range.

For preclinical classes, upperclassmen may be available for tutoring. At many schools, it's already payed for in the tuition. There isn't really the need to hire a practicing physician to tutor you in preclinical coursework. That being said, most students do not use these resources at my school - I think the material is not conceptually difficult for the most part, the problem is the sheer quantity of material. And a tutor is not as helpful for memorizing a huge amount of material in my opinion.

That being said, there's plenty of FMG's (and IMG's, and AMG's) who are studying for Step 1 and need help, but don't have free/cost effective tutoring available at their institution. I have heard that you can hire a tutor for that purpose, either independently or through test-prep companies. And yes, it's my understanding that they charge an arm and a leg. I guess American students could use loan money to pay for it. Maybe it's worth it if it helps them pass Step 1 or get into their specialty of choice.

 

[IMG69]

Don't bother with a tutor just study with your friends, you'll all be better at different topics/areas; so learn and teach each other. "See one, do one, teach one". Apply it to everything.

 

[deleted480308]

I wouldn’t hire a private tutor but your school might pay upperclassmen to tutor and that is a good option

 

[BidingMyTime]

If you are having serious problems and in danger of failing out, then yes, hire a tutor. What do you have to lose? If nothing else, your tutor may be able to give you different ideas on study techniques.

 

[Goro]

If you are having serious problems and in danger of failing out, then yes, hire a tutor. What do you have to lose? If nothing else, your tutor may be able to give you different ideas on study techniques.

In addition, schools have learning or education centers to help struggling students with study techniques.

 

[deleted87051]

Nothing in medical school is conceptually difficult to understand. It’s not quantum physics. You just need slightly above average intelligence, a decent memory and some effort. Tutoring won’t really help.

 

[Oso]

Nothing in medical school is conceptually difficult to understand

to be fair, what the **** is a nephron

 

[ortnakas]

My school paid MS2s to tutor MS1s, usually anatomy but I believe other subjects as well. I had an anatomy tutor and found it helpful.

 

[potential_fut_doc]

I really dont think I could have passed anatomy without a tutor as an M1. Not because they actually taught me anatomy but moreso how to study anatomy. Just the tips and tricks involved with how to brute force memorize tons of information. Not really something I personally had learned in undergrad.

 

[NicMouse64]

Anatomy and cadavers are pretty much the only time this is useful.

 

[Quantal Reasoning]

All of my tutees found it very useful 😉

 

[radsisrad]

I've tutored many med students, and while it's not necessary for everyone, it can be extraordinarily valuable for some. Some of my students/residents have failed USMLEs or shelf exams, others are just about at the passing level, and others are performing decently and want to shoot for the 260+. I can tell you that med students often get horrible advice from professors and upperclassmen on how to prepare for the Steps. And, BTW, schools' "learning counseling" (or whatever it's called) services often don't do students favors, either.

Hiring a good tutor costs $ (trust me, if your tutor is charging you 40/hr, (s)he probably didn't do all that well on the exams), but - seen from a certain perspective - the doors the can be opened more than justify the cost.

 

[Crayola227]

Anatomy and cadavers are pretty much the only time this is useful.

my cadaver WAS my tutor

 

[NicMouse64]

my cadaver WAS my tutor

Cadaver anatomy is the biggest waste of time of anything in medical school. It's a rite of passage but surgical anatomy and cadaver anatomy are like 180 different.

 

[TheIllusionist]

do you really need someone to teach you how to memorize?

 

[Goro]

do you really need someone to teach you how to memorize?

Different people have different ways of learning, and for some, the dealing with flood of info requires a different learning skill set.

 

[Espressso]

In addition, schools have learning or education centers to help struggling students with study techniques.

My school paid MS2s to tutor MS1s, usually anatomy but I believe other subjects as well. I had an anatomy tutor and found it helpful.

2nd year anatomy tutors were great for me.

And +1 for utilizing the learning center on campus. Not so much as a tutor, per se, but more to analyze learning strategies, efficacy, and test taking skills/strategies. This helped me big time during first year.

 

[sloop]

I was a tutor for almost all of the preclinical courses and Step 1 at my med school. The students I tutored were referred by the administration and were generally doing poorly. For a struggling student, it can be helpful to have someone go over the important, high yield, broad concepts with the hope that they can at least pass the course. For a student that is performing satisfactorily already, I think tutoring is less likely to get them to high pass or honors range than them just working on that themselves.

 

[guytakingboards]

It is very useful in my mind.

Quite the necro-bump.

I was a tutor for almost all of the preclinical courses and Step 1 at my med school. The students I tutored were referred by the administration and were generally doing poorly. For a struggling student, it can be helpful to have someone go over the important, high yield, broad concepts with the hope that they can at least pass the course. For a student that is performing satisfactorily already, I think tutoring is less likely to get them to high pass or honors range than them just working on that themselves.

Disagree. Depending on tutoring style, it can be very useful for the latter category too. If the tutor is teaching test-taking strategies on top of material review, it can absolutely bump already-passing people up.

 

[wondervisions]

My instinct is that it is not useful. My instinct is tutoring is only useful in problem set/ puzzle type classes where you might get genuinely stuck on an engineering problem or quantum physics problem or something. Then a tutor can help you get unstuck so you can make progress on the problem.

Do you know anyone who has had a tutor for medical school classes?

Do you agree with me?

TBH you should know how to study and self teach by the time you get to med school.

 

[sloop]

Disagree. Depending on tutoring style, it can be very useful for the latter category too. If the tutor is teaching test-taking strategies on top of material review, it can absolutely bump already-passing people up.

I’m not saying it can’t help. I just think that they might be better off spending their time independently identifying their weaknesses and targeting those.

Getting tutored is generally pretty inefficient unless you have significant problems with the way you study already (at least, significant problems by med school standards).

 

[operaman]

I found it personally very helpful in the beginning. We had optional tutoring available for free through the school and it was done in groups by M2s. They definitely helped me learn what to study and what kind of material would be tested from our lectures. As the year went on I got pretty good at doing that myself though I still went just because it was nice to go through material and they would point out particular topics they remembered being particularly high yield on their exam the year before.

After that I was a tutor my second year and then did some one and one tutoring for at risk students who were remediating/repeating. I’d like to think I was helping them but obviously there’s only so much a tutor can do. In the end it’s each of us individually versus the material.

If it’s offered for free early on, I’d say jump on it. Use absolutely every resource offered by your school early on and then drop the ones the don’t seem helpful. Plenty of classmates dropped the tutoring and did fine, so it’s not for everyone. I think it’s typically easier to start strong and then ease off than it is to start easy and have to catch up later.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

At my former School, we would offer MS 2s as tutors after the first anatomy quiz. They were very pro active for early intervention. You can always stop using the tutor at any time. it was far better than getting tsumanied and then utilozing a tutor when you are behind. If you are a good student, but not an elite student, it is hard to understand the volume of material needed to be mastered during the first semester of med school.