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- Dec 24, 2001
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This is a really a reply to the Carribbean vs. DO thread, but it is somewhat off-topic and will probably start some debate (complete with weak arguments, name calling and other meaningless premedical dribble). Neverthess, this is something that every premedical student on this forum will realize, at some point in their career (some earlier than others).
In reading the Carribbean vs. DO school debate, I noticed that many members of this forum subscribe to The Great Medical School Myth. There is this great myth that medicine is "Oh So Hard!!" and that only certain people can accomplish this and, moreover, only certain schools are capable of adequately teaching medicine. This myth is utter bunk, boys and girls.
Medicine is not as hard to teach as, say, a PhD program in practically any subject. PhD programs require faculty that are able to facilitate students in thinking on their own and developing novel, new ideas. Medical education doesn't even come close to this! Regardless of the school you attend, general medical education (meaning exclusion of MD/PhD and DO/PhD programs) emphasize memorization over novel, original thinking. Medicine is voluminous, but not especially difficult. Pure physiology, pure pharmacology, pure microbiology, or pure histology are hundreds of times more difficult to comprehend than learning just medical physiology, medical pharmacology, medical microbiology, or medical histology -- all of which are just watered-down versions of their pure disciplines.
Few medical students will ever admit to the above. For some, it is because they want people to believe that they are amazing intellectuals; but mostly it is because most medical students have never been to graduate school and therefore have no appreciation of the level of difficulty of most other PhD disciplines. For those of us who have been to graduate school AND medical school, we cannot deny the truth: that medical school, while voluminous in nature, is not especially intellectual nor is medical knowledge especially difficult to attain.
In summary, providing that a medical student has adequate professors and adequate exposure to a variety of pathology, any medical school whether in the states or abroad will suffice. Ultimately, however, the competence of a physician will be determined solely by the determination and dedication of the individual; not by the name their school, their professors, or the degree they possess.
In reading the Carribbean vs. DO school debate, I noticed that many members of this forum subscribe to The Great Medical School Myth. There is this great myth that medicine is "Oh So Hard!!" and that only certain people can accomplish this and, moreover, only certain schools are capable of adequately teaching medicine. This myth is utter bunk, boys and girls.
Medicine is not as hard to teach as, say, a PhD program in practically any subject. PhD programs require faculty that are able to facilitate students in thinking on their own and developing novel, new ideas. Medical education doesn't even come close to this! Regardless of the school you attend, general medical education (meaning exclusion of MD/PhD and DO/PhD programs) emphasize memorization over novel, original thinking. Medicine is voluminous, but not especially difficult. Pure physiology, pure pharmacology, pure microbiology, or pure histology are hundreds of times more difficult to comprehend than learning just medical physiology, medical pharmacology, medical microbiology, or medical histology -- all of which are just watered-down versions of their pure disciplines.
Few medical students will ever admit to the above. For some, it is because they want people to believe that they are amazing intellectuals; but mostly it is because most medical students have never been to graduate school and therefore have no appreciation of the level of difficulty of most other PhD disciplines. For those of us who have been to graduate school AND medical school, we cannot deny the truth: that medical school, while voluminous in nature, is not especially intellectual nor is medical knowledge especially difficult to attain.
In summary, providing that a medical student has adequate professors and adequate exposure to a variety of pathology, any medical school whether in the states or abroad will suffice. Ultimately, however, the competence of a physician will be determined solely by the determination and dedication of the individual; not by the name their school, their professors, or the degree they possess.