Regenerated: Food for pre-medical thought

[Einsteinemc2]

For some reason (I think an accident), my thread was moved to topics in healthcare. Obviously, my thread belongs in the pre-allo forum as we are discussing the merits of schools. So, I've posted a link to the discussion thus far, and all are welcome to comment after they have read up on it. I have posted my original comments below.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=244105

To be honest, I find it hard to believe after interviewing at yale, harvard, and hopkins that all medical education is the same. the resources at these schools are simply unparalleled. furthermore, the faculty have proved themselves in one way or another. i mean, compared to a school like UTMB, or UT-Houston (i interviewed at these places), it's clear that there are differences in medical schools. big differences. why must we keep insisting that all medical education is the same? there is a reason everybody goes to hopkins if they have a special case/disease; and there is a reason they don't go to UTMB...

not to pick on UTMB, the people are wonderful. i just want to point out that there are clear differences.

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[Shredder]

they are not the same at all and IMO you are entirely correct. but ppl have egos and such to consider, its hard to be objective. its the same as insisting that all people are equal, or have equal abilities etc etc. it just sounds nice in theory and makes ppl feel good you know. so in a word i would say your answer is psychology.

although, some people say all medical schools are equal in that you will become a doctor no matter where you go, and that goes a long way. its very unlike other professional schools such as law and business, where your success depends highly on where you went to school. so in terms of income potential, med school graduates i would say are on much more even footing. but the med school experience itself is far different i believe. same with college (for someone who enters as a premed, thus college attended only matters marginally from a practical point of view), as i only now realize all too late. med school graduates from anywhere are guaranteed 150K pretty much, and the potential to increase that is high. but i think the vast majority of great advancements, discoveries, and leadership in healthcare is done by graduates of top notch institutions. however, thats only a correlation and not a causation, so thats another thing to consider. meaning, those same ppl may have risen to greatness regardless of where they went, which is a common argument.

to me one of the most important things is the caliber of students. where i am right now, they are just not up to par. but that also applies to faculty, facilities and research. however i think students is more important, as it would be nice to be able to forge some lifelong associations and partnerships with great minds during med school.

i will go out on a limb and say that the interviewees i encountered at ohio state vs penn and columbia were dramatically different

 

[MoosePilot]

Ok, while regenerating your thread, why not add new material? Address the issues Q brought up. Define resources and say how you think those will increase your ability.

 

[MDDM]

I agree with Shredder. And let me add this. While top-notch medical school have the greatest faculty and the greatest facilities, the degree to which these would be actually utilized by the average medical student is really miniscule. During your first two years, unless you went previously to PA school or had very strong prior background in the basic sciences, you would spend most, if not all, of your time reading books and taking tests. Although having better utilities and professors would give you a bit of an edge, I really don't think it's going to boil down to making you a better doctor. Rotations are a bit different, but you are still busy learning and you wouldn't benefit a great deal from top-notch facilities, since it's still general education in various specialties. Residency is an entirely different story. I think this is where all the difference is, your actual training. After all, this is what you are going to be doing in your practice, not basics of pharmacology or clinically oriented developmental biology. You would be interacting with faculty and facilities most of the time, and therefore it would make a difference where you do your residency. In my opinion, med. school is really just another form of undergraduate study. It might be a bit of a revolutionary idea, but it stems from my observations in the field of medicine.

 

[Fermata]

there is a reason everybody goes to hopkins if they have a special case/disease; and there is a reason they don't go to UTMB...

not to pick on UTMB, the people are wonderful. i just want to point out that there are clear differences.

Haha.

Yea...everyone goes to Hopkins to get poked at by the more knowledgable med students.



Haha. Rich.