I learn better from books:something wrong??

[mucha]

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Apart from the hospital procedures (intubating, suturing, ordering labs...), I learn much better from clinical books.
I remember better medical info that I read compared to info that I observe on wards.
I read that wards is the best place to learn clinicals, and it is easier to learn diseases and their work up when you see it.
Am I weired?
Sometimes, I' rather read a good medical books rather than spending so many hours on call or late.
I feel I am more productive.
Anybody like me? 😕

 

[kc361]

The best way to approach learning in the clinical years (and beyond, for that matter) is not to choose books OR the wards, but rather to couple the two together. The idea isn't that you'll learn more just by staying late and seeing a ton on the floors - sure this gives you exposure, but it doesn't integrate the material and deepen your understanding of it. A better tactic is to work hard, see a lot, then go home and *read about what you've seen.* That will solidify everything in your head. I find it's also much easier and faster to read about a topic once I've seen it firsthand, rather than opening up a book and reading about something new and unfamiliar.

 

[fun8stuff]

Apart from the hospital procedures (intubating, suturing, ordering labs...), I learn much better from clinical books.
I remember better medical info that I read compared to info that I observe on wards.
I read that wards is the best place to learn clinicals, and it is easier to learn diseases and their work up when you see it.
Am I weired?
Sometimes, I' rather read a good medical books rather than spending so many hours on call or late.
I feel I am more productive.
Anybody like me? 😕

sounds like you are more of a visual learner (Reading & seeing diagrams) than an auditory learner (having someone tell you). I wouldn't say you are weird- it is good that you have identified how you best learn. Now you just have to capitalize off it.

 

[Mike59]

I'm the same way, don't sweat it....

I use the ward experience more as a way of generating a "to do list" of things to read about. What I actually see/do in the hospital never seems to stick unless I get a chance to do it over and over again (which is usually not possible on a short 6 week rotation).

Visual learning rocks, we're better than the rest! 😛

 

[tupac_don]

Apart from the hospital procedures (intubating, suturing, ordering labs...), I learn much better from clinical books.
I remember better medical info that I read compared to info that I observe on wards.
I read that wards is the best place to learn clinicals, and it is easier to learn diseases and their work up when you see it.
Am I weired?
Sometimes, I' rather read a good medical books rather than spending so many hours on call or late.
I feel I am more productive.
Anybody like me? 😕

I think maybe at this stage of the game it's better to read, b/c you probably have a lot to learn. So when you read it, then the procedure and what to do makes sense. I would say give it some time, and some nuances, that are not in the book is what you will learn on the wards. I mean you need to be able to manage a sepsis pt, and read the book. But in real life there are little tricks of the trade, that you will learn by observing others and by doing it. Best of luck.

p.s. you are not weird

 

[mucha]

Thanks for your posts!
Weired was a wrong word to use.
I meant "am I part of the very minority of students who prefer books from wards to learn theory?"
I am for sure a very visual learner, and my first language is french, which may not help in US wards (even though I am fluent in english).
Every single students I talked to stongly insisted on learning from experience, that's why I though I was from a very minority. I feel like I am loosing 70 percent of my time on wards, which could sound like a lot for other students.....
It can take for example half an hour to study a patient on wards while it would have taken me 5 minutes from a book, which I could have read comfortably in front of tv... 😀

 

[TruTrooper]

Thanks for your posts!
Weired was a wrong word to use.
I meant "am I part of the very minority of students who prefer books from wards to learn theory?"
I am for sure a very visual learner, and my first language is french, which may not help in US wards (even though I am fluent in english).
Every single students I talked to stongly insisted on learning from experience, that's why I though I was from a very minority. I feel like I am loosing 70 percent of my time on wards, which could sound like a lot for other students.....
It can take for example half an hour to study a patient on wards while it would have taken me 5 minutes from a book, which I could have read comfortably in front of tv... 😀

I am with you. I learn better from reading the stuff. Information on the ward only help me to reinforce what I already have read and don't even mention lecture that I rarely attended.