Not to great at lab practicals... career choices?

[Dr Gerrard]

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Just wondering... at this point I hear over and over that you need to choose something that you love doing but also something that you would be good at.

It turns out, even though I know the anatomy decently well, I always score worse on the practical than what I should based on how well I know the material. I consistently score 5-10% points lower on practicals than I do on anatomy portion of the written exam.

Just wondering, does this say anything about career options? If I am not that great in lab, should I go ahead and rule out surgery or something?

What about other things? I often miss the radiology questions on our written portion. Is this something I should stop thinking about as much?

Thanks!!

 

[auburnO5]

Dude, there's no way grades on lab practicals correlate to any certain specialty.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

I'm sure I am overreacting, but you don't think it has any correlation to surgery/radiology/any other anatomy heavy field? That doesn't even seem right.

 

[loveoforganic]

I think it has a negative correlation with medicine in general. Leave before you accumulate more debt. I'm now going to ask you if your lab practical scores tend to be >80. If so, I'm going to kick you.

 

[secants]

Have you done group studying for the practicals or you go solo? I think this is one area where group studying or having someone quiz you is much better than doing it alone.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

lol not greater than 80

i get around 75 on the practical and 80-85 on the written portion consistently

and i do study in groups.

a few questions are kind of dumb..

but sometimes i question my critical thinking ability because i don't get some of them right. what do you guys think about this? like seeing some nerve in a place you haven't seen before and making an educated guess..

 

[loveoforganic]

Well to answer your question seriously, I wouldn't cross out surgery. As far as improving practical grades, look at tons of different bodies. If you can identify each structure on 3 or 4 different bodies, I'd say things should be looking good

 

[turkeyjerky]

I'm sure I am overreacting, but you don't think it has any correlation to surgery/radiology/any other anatomy heavy field? That doesn't even seem right.

LOL. You're overreacting. No correlation whatsoever.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

Thanks guys.

There are some things that I teach multiple people in my class and then when practical time comes, I somehow don't orient myself properly and put the wrong thing.

Although I am worried about the grade portion, that is not even my main concern.

I am just worried that I don't have good enough critical thinking skills.

Would you say that performance in lab does correlate to this at least? Because this is what is getting me down right now

 

[TAWS]

I don't think anatomy practicals test real life skills at all. They purposely make it hard by arranging body parts in a "disorientating manner" so that the class average doesn't get too high.

I wouldn't go into surgery if you don't like practicals though. Every surgery will be like a real life "practical"

 

[Daedra22]

Yeah, I was great at practicals but I can guarantee you that you do not want me becoming a surgeon. 😛 There are a lot of skills that go into any clinical scenario, and like others have said, the majority of those skills are not going to be evident in a lab practical. Keep your mind open and don't get too stressed about it.

 

[CaptainSSO]

lol not greater than 80

i get around 75 on the practical and 80-85 on the written portion consistently

and i do study in groups.

a few questions are kind of dumb..

but sometimes i question my critical thinking ability because i don't get some of them right. what do you guys think about this? like seeing some nerve in a place you haven't seen before and making an educated guess..

Yea, like someone said it's all about looking at as many bodies as you can. Neuro is a bit different, once you've learned it on one brain all the others are going to look almost exactly alike. But the muscles/peripheral nerves/arteries are all extremely variable.

And no it definitely doesn't mean you can't do surgery. You will learn all the pertinent anatomy very well during your residency.

 

[ArcGurren]

I know people who barely passed anatomy and ended up in some very good surgery programs. You do not need to be a master of anatomy initially to do well and learn surgery, as it's something you can generally learn along the way. Honestly, I liked anatomy and I don't even want to do surgery because I didn't enjoy the OR... whereas if you enjoy the OR even if you aren't an anatomy star, you can still learn it well enough.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

Thanks guys.

Thinking about this topic, I realize I have yet to have serious interest in anatomy.

My main concern was just the fact that I couldn't think of the right answer on the spot and wondering if this really says something about my critical thinking ability in general. Like many of you, I have always done well in school. I have always been proud of my ability to think well on the spot.. but now i'm not so sure.

I am hoping this does not translate to real life critical thinking 😳

 

[PrideNeverDie]

Thanks guys.

Thinking about this topic, I realize I have yet to have serious interest in anatomy.

My main concern was just the fact that I couldn't think of the right answer on the spot and wondering if this really says something about my critical thinking ability in general. Like many of you, I have always done well in school. I have always been proud of my ability to think well on the spot.. but now i'm not so sure.

I am hoping this does not translate to real life critical thinking 😳

you just learn in a different way. the most important part is to keep your confidence up and not let it be swayed by scores

for example: the top student in my class knows straight recall. if you ask him to list something, he can say it much quicker than me. however, if you ask him to transition between subjects in a clinical correlation he is much slower than me.

i consistently score in the top 10% in the written portion, but barely pass the lab

do u have ADHD? i have ADHD and it makes recall difficult at times
it might make you look foolish in front of an attending, but rest assured if you put in the time the information is stored there

 

[CatFactorial]

Sorry, you're not going to be an anatomy instructor.

HTH.

 

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[Kadava Reviva]

Is this another "pickled cadaver as a teaching tool" thread?

OP: Your marks on this lab have very little to do with your ability to be a good physician. Also, the exams can be too specific on small details and don't measure you true understanding of the important principles.

The only purpose in using pickled kadavas in modern med schools is to make you smell like formaldehyde, so people will know you are a medical student. Same reason for which some schools make med students wear short white coats. Like the Oath, it's all about tradition.