Teaching myself medicine

Med School Insiders
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Nope. It's an art that requires a substantial knowledge base, but medicine is learned and refined through practice.

Now if you're interested in physiology, pharmacology, etc., sure you can learn those things from a book. Dealing with difficult patients, recognizing atypical presentations, adjusting the plan when the patient doesn't respond as expected, ad nauseum, are things you have to experience first hand.
 
Let me first say I'm not a medical student so my opinion is just that, an opinion. :meanie:

I've noticed on SDN and in comments from med students, few go to class regularly, so you are kinda teaching yourself in a "guided instruction" mode.

I remember a thread on SDN once where a couple of folks (residents, students and a new attending or two) said it probably was possible for someone with a syllabus, old notes and the right textbooks to replicate pre-clinical MS1 and MS2.

You'd miss the clincial interaction some students get early in those first years. You also would not have cadaver anatomy (unless you have a stiff in your garage.)

My opinion and a two-fity' will get you a grande latte at Starbucks! :laugh:
 
Metaphysicist said:
Is it possible to teach myself medicine through books alone?
Click to expand...

Maybe I am different, but I can't learn unless I am in an interactive environment. I have taken many online courses and although grade wise I do well, I really do not retain much of the material. What's that formula? You retain like 10-20% of what you read and like 30 what you hear etc, etc.
Sure there are people out there that learn by themselves, but for me there are a lot of topics that I either do not understand or forget very soon after the class is over, while there are many concepts that I retain once I have heard them explained from a professor and then tested over and over again. Honestly, I don't think retention wise you will be able to retain as much by just reading the books.
 
Metaphysicist said:
Is it possible to teach myself medicine through books alone?
Click to expand...
You might get through the material of the preclinical years, but you won't get even that part completely. At my school, you learn how to do a physical exam (and interpret findings) and do a full workup before you hit the wards. There's also other clinical stuff that you won't get outside the classroom.

After that there's the wards. You can't get the knowledge of how to do procedures (be it surgeries, central lines, or simply getting IV access) without someone looking over your shoulder.

But that doesn't mean you can't be an educated consumer in the healthcare system. The folks who are active in their own care and read up on their conditions are wonderful patients.
 
Metaphysicist said:
Is it possible to teach myself medicine through books alone?
Click to expand...

Absolutely not. You will be able to learn the necessary background biomedical material (years 1-2), but there's not a chance you'll be able to learn the practical and applied clinical knowledge from reading books (years 3-4+). Medicine is essentially applied science, therefore, you learn a lot by actually doing it. Enough said.
 
spicedmanna said:
Absolutely not. You will be able to learn the necessary background biomedical material (years 1-2), but there's not a chance you'll be able to learn the practical and applied clinical knowledge from reading books (years 3-4+). Medicine is essentially applied science, therefore, you learn a lot by actually doing it. Enough said.
Click to expand...

QFT. Hell, even things as basic as anatomy and physiology vary from person to person, and you don't get that from a book. It's not that we don't have *similar* physiognomies, but vasculature can differ, responses to medication are *very* variable, so pharmacology is a *guide*, but not a manual, etc.

EDIT:

Duh - I forgot the biggie. Textbooks are *by definition* dated material, and medicine is evolving. Most of the clinicians I've worked with have indicated that what they learned in classrooms was old by the time they reached internship and residency.
 
sunnyjohn said:
I've noticed on SDN and in comments from med students, few go to class regularly,
Click to expand...

While I agree with the rest of your post: First, better than half of most med school classes tends to attend lectures regularly. So if "few" SDNers go to class (which I doubt), they are not representative of their class. People are prone to exaggerate. And you can bet they show up for the important things. Second, you certainly have to attend the various patient exposure/clinical medicine/ physical diagnosis type classes, because frankly, you aren't going to learn correct palpation or percussion technique, what various things feel like, sound like, look like, etc from a book. Third, 99.9% of what is really considered "learning how to practice medicine" is going to occur during your rotation and then residency years. The lecture portioins of med school are just foundation for this and even if you could learn enough for Step 1 on your own, you would not have "taught yourself medicine". Books will be more of a reference and less of a learning tool at this stage. Your senior residents, attendings, and patients will be your learning tools. This is where the real learning of your trade occurs.
Hope that helps.
 
Law2Doc said:
...First, better than half of most med school classes tends to attend lectures regularly. So if "few" SDNers go to class (which I doubt), they are not representative of their class...And you can bet they show up for the important things...
Click to expand...
I go to almost all of our lectures. The few that I haven't are on a case by case basis.

Law2Doc said:
...Second, you certainly have to attend the various patient exposure/clinical medicine/ physical diagnosis type classes, because frankly, you aren't going to learn correct palpation or percussion technique, what various things feel like, sound like, look like, etc from a book...
Click to expand...
Exactly. I didn't know what a bruit sounded like, and was surprised to hear one when I took my first BP.
Law2Doc said:
...Third, 99.9% of what is really considered "learning how to practice medicine" is going to occur during your rotation and then residency years. The lecture portioins of med school are just foundation for this and even if you could learn enough for Step 1 on your own, you would not have "taught yourself medicine"...
Click to expand...
As I complete each theme, I understand more and more of what the docs say. Like what they mean when they say the patient has ptosis, ataxia, or diploplia. Next year I'll have a better idea of how these things happen, but as of yet, I have no idea of how to treat or cure these.
 
RxnMan said:
I didn't know what a bruit sounded like, and was surprised to hear one when I took my first BP.
Click to expand...

Telling stories on ourselves: First time I saw a doc checking the carotid with his stethoscope I asked about "bru-etts." He responded, "It's 'brū ē', from the French." and went back to demonstrating. My next though was if it was hot in the exam room or just me? Turns out it was just me. I'm sure I turned all different shades of red. Only one of many times I've felt rediculous in front of the docs. 😳
 
Metaphysicist said:
Is it possible to teach myself medicine through books alone?
Click to expand...

Yes. Of course it is. You might have some trouble on your physical exam skills but you could probably start as an intern and fake your way through it until you got up to speed.

But most people need a little structure and you will never be allowed to practice medicine legally without formal training.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
BSN to DNP pursuing medicine
Replies
2
Views
565
Bribri123
B
ND_Hopeful
Understanding how to present myself to Med Schools as Non-Trad
Replies
6
Views
1K
ND_Hopeful
ND_Hopeful
D
ministry to medicine
Replies
11
Views
2K
WildWing
WildWing
B
Business to Medicine. DIY Post-Bacc worth it?
Replies
8
Views
934
polymerization
P
C
Finance bro going to medicine?
Replies
14
Views
2K
PB2464
P
Top