Surgical Memorization

[Wannabedoc97]

To all the med students and or surgical residents and what not, how do surgeons memorize everything? The stereotype is that they're the jocks of medicine but in reality, they're one of the smartest if not the smartest in the medical field IMO. They have to have knowledge of not only advanced anatomy and physiology, but also Pathology, diseases, surgical procedures, and of course pharmacology. How do they memorize all of those procedures? Is it muscle memory, procedural memory, or just practice? What do you guys think?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[dpmd]

To all the med students and or surgical residents and what not, how do surgeons memorize everything? The stereotype is that they're the jocks of medicine but in reality, they're one of the smartest if not the smartest in the medical field IMO. They have to have knowledge of not only advanced anatomy and physiology, but also Pathology, diseases, surgical procedures, and of course pharmacology. How do they memorize all of those procedures? Is it muscle memory, procedural memory, or just practice? What do you guys think?

You don't memorize individual steps and facts, you learn principles you can apply to a variety of things. Plus you learn where you need to find info if you need it. I know doses of stuff I use all the time but can easily look up those I don't. If there is a surgery I have never done that I need to do I know several different resources to help me do it plus my experience with other procedures lets me know how the tissues respond and what type of suture is appropriate.

 

[TheBiologist]

these "jocks" are not the kids on the high school football team that peaked at 18 and now sell weed from their parent's house.

what, fit/athletic people can't be smart?

 

[NotASerialKiller]

they're one of the smartest if not the smartest in the medical field IMO

Pre-med thinks surgeons are the smartest/best doctors, med student mocks him, SDN users like mocking post

Let's go

 

[Wannabedoc97]

these "jocks" are not the kids on the high school football team that peaked at 18 and now sell weed from their parent's house.

what, fit/athletic people can't be smart?

I did not mean it as athletes aren't intelligent. It's just the stereotype of it. I know many smart athletes, some way smarter than me. Hence, making this a stereotype.

 

[Wannabedoc97]

You don't memorize individual steps and facts, you learn principles you can apply to a variety of things. Plus you learn where you need to find info if you need it. I know doses of stuff I use all the time but can easily look up those I don't. If there is a surgery I have never done that I need to do I know several different resources to help me do it plus my experience with other procedures lets me know how the tissues respond and what type of suture is appropriate.

What's your surgical specialty? It makes sense what you're saying though. I'm just curious. How did you practice? Did you use simulators or on cadavers?

 

[Wannabedoc97]

Pre-med thinks surgeons are the smartest/best doctors, med student mocks him, SDN users like mocking post

Let's go

Well they're not the smartest per say. I think there are other specialties that are even underestimated. I would say if anything general practitioners or internists are the smartest if anything. They're like walking medical dictionaries. I'm just saying, surgeons are incredibly intelligent.

 

[dpmd]

What's your surgical specialty? It makes sense what you're saying though. I'm just curious. How did you practice? Did you use simulators or on cadavers?

General surgery.

People. We practice on real live people. That is what residency is all about. It isn't exactly see one, do one, teach one but it isn't that far from it. I did learn knot tying on a board in med school (and they also had a suturing lab using some dead animal that was through the surgical student interest group, think we did some other stuff too but I don't really remember what).

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Well they're not the smartest per say. I think there are other specialties that are even underestimated. I would say if anything general practitioners or internists are the smartest if anything. They're like walking medical dictionaries. I'm just saying, surgeons are incredibly intelligent.

*per se

Also, by general practitioner, did you mean a family physician? Because that's not the same as a GP, and I think most GPs these days are not walking encyclopedias, since they've only completed an internship.

 

[cactusman]

Pre-med thinks surgeons are the smartest/best doctors, med student mocks him, SDN users like mocking post

Let's go

Well they're not the smartest per say. I think there are other specialties that are even underestimated. I would say if anything general practitioners or internists are the smartest if anything. They're like walking medical dictionaries. I'm just saying, surgeons are incredibly intelligent.

Something something grammar CARS
Edit: And our resident writer (musician, sailor, etc.) has beaten me to it.

 

[Goro]

To all the med students and or surgical residents and what not, how do surgeons memorize everything? The stereotype is that they're the jocks of medicine but in reality, they're one of the smartest if not the smartest in the medical field IMO. They have to have knowledge of not only advanced anatomy and physiology, but also Pathology, diseases, surgical procedures, and of course pharmacology. How do they memorize all of those procedures? Is it muscle memory, procedural memory, or just practice? What do you guys think?

ALL medical students have to memorize. And more importantly, apply.

Repetition drives learning.

 

[TypeADissection]

It's a lot of memorization for sure but more importantly it's about understanding the principles of why as well. I think one of the cool things about surgery is that not only do we get to read about pathologies, there's then the next step of thinking about how we're going to translate it to our hands to do something good for the patient.

 

[bioboy23]

Most attendings have done their bread & butter cases each 2,500+ times in their career. At that point it's like driving a car and just ending up at your destination. You're not sure what you were doing in the meantime, but you made it. (This probably isn't extremely accurate but it's what my step dad told me once).

Edit: 2,500+ if not double to triple that number with lap appys, scopes, colonoscopies, and things of this nature.