older residents and memory issues

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Hi. I'm a PGY-1 who is 37 years old. I've noticed that my short term memory has been getting worse over the past decade. I used to be able to memorize lists without problem. Wasn't so hard in medical school, but in residency I'm frustrated. I have a hard time acquiring new information and I also have difficulty with immediate recall (e.g. always having to look up what floor my patients are on, to immediately identify my patient's chief complaint by name only. I've noticed that my younger colleagues don't have the same problem.

Anyway, it's not so bad that anyone has ever said anything to me about it. And I compensate by writing everything down. I'm wondering if any other thirty somethings out there have similar issues or if I just fried too many brain cells in my younger, less restrained years.

 

[colbgw02]

i hear this "saying" a lot at my hospital, where we have quite a few older residents...

"the key to adult learning in repetition"

i guess that means that it's normal to not be able to memorize things right away as you get older.

 

[Faebinder]

It's never too late to ease off the drinking..

 

[gungho]

i've definitely noticed a difference upon returning to another residency in my late 40's after completing my first one in late 20's. very frustrating. agree that repetition is vital. as someone has said, "throw enough mud against the barn wall, some of it's bound to stick".

 

[Winged Scapula]

Same here. I had to read things more than once whereas in my youth it was enough to read it or hear it once to remember. It makes it more difficult, hence my choice of a relatively narrow specialty. Makes the studying easier (although all the Oncology is newish to me).

 

[chicamedica]

Also always remember that the most common cause of short term memory loss in young people (i.e. not elderly) is sleep deprivation.

 

[ekydrd]

Also always remember that the most common cause of short term memory loss in young people (i.e. not elderly) is sleep deprivation.

Being a 40something year old resident I can certainly relate to the above. The more sleep deprived I am the more forgetful I am.

 

[Barry Otter]

Hey, I'm not as old as you fogeys who surely expel dirt when you fart, but I'm no spring chicken either. The trick is to study smarter, and devise a better system for keeping track of patient related matters. When studying, I try to incorporate mnemonic techniques (the Harry Lorayne type, not devising inane acronyms). At the end of the day, I try to take a few minutes to go over what I learned that day, and also review it first thing the next morning. Then I review it again a few days later.

 

[Doc Oc]

I'm just about to turn 30 and just began noticing this. I've started looking up phone numbers, for the first time in my life. I used to be able to just look at it or hear it once, and I'd remember it.

A week ago, I saw a house for rent that I was interested in. I realized I'd forget the number if I didn't write it down, but I couldn't find a pen. Instead, I thought I was so genius for making a new entry in my cell phone address book. Well, for a few days, I forgot where I put the piece of paper that I wrote the number down on. When I finally recalled that it was in my cell phone, I didn't remember which entry it was! I call about the house, and it had been rented 🙁

Crap like this never happened to me before. Nice to hear it gets worse 🙂

 

[fang]

Are you sure this is an age thing? I'm 32, and feel like I'm in the best mental "shape" of my life. I was never a memorization freak, but I feel like I remember things much better now than I used to. For instance, I used to forget my keys, forget to put the milk back in the fridge, lose my wallet, forget what hotel room I was staying in, lose my car at the mall, etc-- haven't done any of those things in quite a while. Also, I can sleep 6 hrs a night now and feel A-OK, wheras when I was 20-25 I remember feeling crappy if I got less than 8 hrs a night. I don't know what's changed, but I like it!! (And the up side is, if I get flakey like that again, I can just say I was like that in my 20's!!)

 

[gungho]

Are you sure this is an age thing? I'm 32, and feel like I'm in the best mental "shape" of my life. I was never a memorization freak, but I feel like I remember things much better now than I used to. For instance, I used to forget my keys, forget to put the milk back in the fridge, lose my wallet, forget what hotel room I was staying in, lose my car at the mall, etc-- haven't done any of those things in quite a while. Also, I can sleep 6 hrs a night now and feel A-OK, wheras when I was 20-25 I remember feeling crappy if I got less than 8 hrs a night. I don't know what's changed, but I like it!! (And the up side is, if I get flakey like that again, I can just say I was like that in my 20's!!)

yeah, when i was a young buck of 32 i could have written your post. not now.

 

[Faebinder]

*Turning 30 this weekend*

You know it's not so much that I can't memorize from first time... it's more like my brain is stuffed with garbage that I fear crap will spill out if I try to squeeze more in it.

heh.

 

[lateness]

i agree. i am the same age, and i feel like i am more quick and cerebral than i ever was. i dont feel anything slowing down, in fact i feel a lot quicker than when i was younger and sleeping more, and doing less. now i do a lot more, sleep less, much more active. I know it gets worse with age, but the most quick and smart people i know in my life, are people way older than me, in their 50s and 60s, I hope they are not the exception though..

 

[Winged Scapula]

i agree. i am the same age, and i feel like i am more quick and cerebral than i ever was. i dont feel anything slowing down, in fact i feel a lot quicker than when i was younger and sleeping more, and doing less. now i do a lot more, sleep less, much more active. I know it gets worse with age, but the most quick and smart people i know in my life, are people way older than me, in their 50s and 60s, I hope they are not the exception though..

Ok...so I guess its just gungho, the OP and me that are failing!