Memorization

[busupshot83]

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I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

 

[Columbia22]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

70% memorization, 30% conceptualization/application...Once you start working in the hospital and such, I assume you will be given the chance to apply all you have learned to solve interesting and puzzling cases.

 

[fourthyearmed]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

YES!

 

[4 Ever]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

my first year classes thus far have yielded very little application of what we learn - its 90%+ memorization (i'm just giving a 10% just in case there is some type of application but i cant recall of it right now)

 

[8744]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

What was your question again?

 

[roja]

There is lots of memorization the first two years. However, you have to realize that much of first year is laying ground work for second year, and second year is laying ground work for third year......

 

[Barry Otter]

Is water wet?

Does Ron Artest have anger management issues?

Are Philadelphia sports fans ungentlemanly at times?

Do homophobes, particularly of the religious right variety, tend to be closet homosexuals?

 

[GoodMonkey]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

yes.

 

[busupshot83]

Do homophobes, particularly of the religious right variety, tend to be closet homosexuals?

 

[Lebesgue]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

Only in the same way that mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (leishmaniasis viannia braziliensis) requires sodium stibogluconate, amphotericin B desoxycholate, or pentamidine...

😀

 

[Paws]

let's see, anatomy, embryology, histology ... yes, I would say that it is about 100% memorization and no thinking other than to say: cr@p this is a freakin' pain in the butt ...

I am actually starting to really like my social medicine and physical diagnosis classes because I get positive feedback for being myself and using my mind. 👍

 

[kappasigMD41]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

Yes. A lot. Bunches.

 

[MeowMix]

You can be like me, and focus on deeper understanding of the concepts and material, with memorization of additional details.

And, like me, you can fail a few exams and barely pass your classes, while your classmates who focus on memorizing get great grades.

 

[Elysium]

You can be like me, and focus on deeper understanding of the concepts and material, with memorization of additional details.

And, like me, you can fail a few exams and barely pass your classes, while your classmates who focus on memorizing get great grades.

I thought I was the only one employing this technique!

 

[erin682]

You can be like me, and focus on deeper understanding of the concepts and material, with memorization of additional details.

And, like me, you can fail a few exams and barely pass your classes, while your classmates who focus on memorizing get great grades.

Oh I so now how you feel, I bombed my 1st anatomy tests by trying to understand concepts--big mistake and a waste of time. My undergrad was a small school so you really had to understand the material to pass the tests. NOw there is just too much info to really understand it and know the details too. Unfortunately I gave up on the true understanding and now have gotten A's.

 

[Vacant]

I'll be starting med school next fall.
It's pretty much clear from what many have testified that most of MS1-2 materials are mostly memorization. What make them so hard is the sheer amount of info one must stuff in. A person with photo-visual memory would have easy time. The fact that exams are multiple choice must mean we don't have to memorize the exam spelling of each word. That makes it much easier I think. Now I can see why some docs say it wasn't hard except for intership while others say they hated the first two years.

 

[Elysium]

Honestly, what it makes it hard is that there is so much memorization and really no application at all of minutia to "the big picture". I even asked my anatomy teacher about "the big picture" and he said not to focus on that because it'll just get in the way. 🙄

I think the reason why people are so miserable and get burned out is that (at least first year, so far) is honestly just a bunch of regurgitation of facts. You don't apply any reasoning to memorizing the steps of glycolysis or the process of B cell signaling or the friggin' cranial nerves or anything else. I honestly can't remember the last time we did any kind of "problem solving". In college (being a liberal arts major) I would write papers about films or books or history or whatever and be expected to draw conclusions pased on the material presented. SO not the case in med school so far. It's just a tedious bunch of crap. People who have a really easy time memorizing are way better off, I tell you that right now.

 

[chandler742]

I was reading through SDN, and I found this post. I just had to reply.

This is one of the most INSIGHTFUL posts, I have ever read on SDN. I agree with this comment 100%. "Problem Solving" is indeed matching what items appear on both lists. In fact, this integration of concepts is how they test students on USMLE STEP 1 and 2, because test makers believe it is assessing a student's problem solving ability. What is boils down to on these "problem solving" questions is pattern recognition and exposure to ZEBRA connections i.e. diverticulosis and hypertension, type II diabetes and hemochromatosis.

Lots and lots of memorization. And a lot of it is useless.

The general pattern of medical "problem solving" relies on simple database retrieval and pattern matching (what are the causes of sign X, what are the causes of sign Y, what items appear in both lists, etc). Often, there are no principles upon which to base the memorization (empirical findings).

I have rarely seen a physician focus on any one thing for over 5 minutes.

I have yet to encounter anything that was difficult to understand. Almost anything in medical school is accessible to someone with a solid high school knowledge of chemistry and physics. Thus, there really is not much to think about. On the other hand, the VOLUME of information is daunting....

Sometimes I miss the good old days of engineering -- a few basic laws explained everything!!

 

[MSHell]

I have heard that medical school requires mostly memorization. Is there truth in this statement?

YES, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! One prof said; "If it's not going to be on the test, you don't need to know it!" 🙄 He wasn't only talking about his class, but about ALL MS classes.

 

[Quixotic]

At my school much of the information is memorization, however, there are opportunities to apply what you learn. For instance, at minimum 20% of our anatomy tests are clinically based. For instance, a patient develops excessive fluid in the subphenic/hepatorenal recess eventually causing irritation to his inferior surface of the diaphragm. Where will the pain be referred to and where will it be localized too? Or how you can develop leg pain from a tuberculosis infection. In addition, we have early patient contact at preceptors so we can see some of the diseases and infections we discuss. Heck, it's only my first semester and I'm already taking CC, PMH, SH, FH, learning the drugs to administer and writing prescriptions, although not signing them yet.

Q

 

[Sean2tall]

Eh, no more memorization than anything else in life. What's the fuss?

 

[zeloc]

What are ZEBRA connections? Yes, it's a lot of memorization, but it should get easier with practice.

I was reading through SDN, and I found this post. I just had to reply.

This is one of the most INSIGHTFUL posts, I have ever read on SDN. I agree with this comment 100%. "Problem Solving" is indeed matching what items appear on both lists. In fact, this integration of concepts is how they test students on USMLE STEP 1 and 2, because test makers believe it is assessing a student's problem solving ability. What is boils down to on these "problem solving" questions is pattern recognition and exposure to ZEBRA connections i.e. diverticulosis and hypertension, type II diabetes and hemochromatosis.

 

[Barry Otter]

What are ZEBRA connections? Yes, it's a lot of memorization, but it should get easier with practice.

Ze bra connections are those clasps that hold two straps of a bra together. I believe a Frenchman invented ze bra connection.

Zebras are also exotic diseases and pathologies, as in, if you hear hooves, think of horses before you think of zebras (consider common diseases before uncommon ones in your differential diagnosis).

 

[Paws]

You can be like me, and focus on deeper understanding of the concepts and material, with memorization of additional details.

And, like me, you can fail a few exams and barely pass your classes, while your classmates who focus on memorizing get great grades.

This what I wonder about: I am really like meow mix and I see my grades go up and down accordingly. BUT, I feel I am really learning and understanding the stuff and I even retain alot of it. My buddies who simply memorize everything and score 100 on the anatomy practical (and lecture exam) as a result, tell me that they can't remember anything a day or so later. That worries them because what will they do for the boards come second year.

So in some ways I feel I would rather take a hit on my grades now but retain the material, than score like a rockstar, but have no idea what I just learned.



Anyone else like this? Thoughts, experiences ... ?

 

[zeloc]

This what I wonder about: I am really like meow mix and I see my grades go up and down accordingly. BUT, I feel I am really learning and understanding the stuff and I even retain alot of it. My buddies who simply memorize everything and score 100 on the anatomy practical (and lecture exam) as a result, tell me that they can't remember anything a day or so later. That worries them because what will they do for the boards come second year.

So in some ways I feel I would rather take a hit on my grades now but retain the material, than score like a rockstar, but have no idea what I just learned.



Anyone else like this? Thoughts, experiences ... ?

I do pretty well on tests, but I do remember stuff a day or two later. I think the more you study something, the better you'll remember it.