Is Medical School "Hands-on?"

[Chip Chipperson]

So I am a non-traditional student entering my senior year with a stellar GPA. I am not quite sure what I am going to do yet. I am considering various health fields (not the type of person to jump into something).

I am not a "hands-on" person. Never have been. I don't really like to work with items, such as those in chemistry lab. I feel clumsy and out of place.

Is there a lot of "hands-on" work required in medical school, and perhaps more importantly, in being a doctor?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[armybound]

Well, you have to be hands-on with your patients...

Depends really what you mean, though. You can choose a specialty where you never even see people, if you want.

I think the more important question would be, what is it about being a physician that's attracting you?

 

[NeuralNetwork]

So I am a non-traditional student entering my senior year with a stellar GPA. I am not quite sure what I am going to do yet. I am considering various health fields (not the type of person to jump into something).

I am not a "hands-on" person. Never have been. I don't really like to work with items, such as those in chemistry lab. I feel clumsy and out of place.

Is there a lot of "hands-on" work required in medical school, and perhaps more importantly, in being a doctor?

There is plenty of hands-on work in being a doctor. You could divide medicine into procedural and non-procedural work for the purposes of your question. If you went the procedural route, you would have every type of surgery + medical specialties that are more hands on (anesthesia, interventional cards, GI, etc).

 

[Crystaal]

I'm the same way - I'm all thumbs and I suck big time in lab courses. I don't learn by doing things with my hands and I get the shakes, BIG TIME.

But I really want to be a physician and I think I can overcome these issues with enough effort. Even if I have to sit at home and practice drawing blood out of myself until I pass out. But I do hope to one day enter a specialty where there isn't much procedure. As long as it's temporary (and med school is finite, after all) I think you can power through even if you're no good with your hands.

 

[Perrotfish]

So I am a non-traditional student entering my senior year with a stellar GPA. I am not quite sure what I am going to do yet. I am considering various health fields (not the type of person to jump into something).

I am not a "hands-on" person. Never have been. I don't really like to work with items, such as those in chemistry lab. I feel clumsy and out of place.

Is there a lot of "hands-on" work required in medical school, and perhaps more importantly, in being a doctor?

The requirement for hand eye coordination varies by specialty. There is very little delicate work in IM, FP, and Peds (outside of the NICU, while obviously OB and surgery are hugely hand/eye dependant.

As for.medical school the answer is school dependant but mostly no. The legal environment being what it is, and resident time commitments being what they are, you generally need to beg for the chance to do procedures. It likely won't be forced on you.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

You'll have to learn to do a good physical examination in nearly every field. If that's too hands-on for you, pretty much you're stuck with psych and rads.

 

[CodeBlu]

You'll have to learn to do a good physical examination in nearly every field. If that's too hands-on for you, pretty much you're stuck with psych and rads.

I'd like to examine you...

 

[Bacchus]

I thought this Medscape article was interesting: http://reference.medscape.com/medline/abstract/22483139?src=nlbest

CONCLUSIONS: Perceived "personal skill set" may influence strongly a medical student's career choice. Despite greater perceived manual dexterity, students interested in an SF do not have greater objective innate manual dexterity than those interested in an NSF.

SF = surgical field
NSF = nonsurgical field

 

[BHaus9]

I'm the same way - I'm all thumbs and I suck big time in lab courses. I don't learn by doing things with my hands and I get the shakes, BIG TIME.

But I really want to be a physician and I think I can overcome these issues with enough effort. Even if I have to sit at home and practice drawing blood out of myself until I pass out. But I do hope to one day enter a specialty where there isn't much procedure. As long as it's temporary (and med school is finite, after all) I think you can power through even if you're no good with your hands.

... might want to stay away from proctology...

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I'd like to examine you...

Are you drunk-stalking me? Naughty...

 

[NightGod]

I thought this Medscape article was interesting: http://reference.medscape.com/medline/abstract/22483139?src=nlbest

CONCLUSIONS: Perceived "personal skill set" may influence strongly a medical student's career choice. Despite greater perceived manual dexterity, students interested in an SF do not have greater objective innate manual dexterity than those interested in an NSF.

SF = surgical field
NSF = nonsurgical field

Dr. Gwande said much the same in one of his books. It reminds me of a story written in a book by a former SEAL. One of the first things they have candidates is swim the length of a pool carrying a brick. One of the guys jumped in, promptly sank to the bottom and ran/walked all the way down the pool and didn't come up until he got to the other end, gasping and sputtering. The trainers asked him why he didn't swim and he told them "I don't know how to swim, but you told me to get to the other end with the brick, so I did. Does this mean I'm out?" Sergeant said "hell boy, we can teach anyone how to swim, what we can't teach is spirit, you stay." (a bit different phrasing here, but the filters would go nuts at the original).