We talked about my current work situation, splitting my time between Big Southern State and Second String State. He asked if I noticed a difference between the students at the two institutions. Without hesitation, I answered that Big Southern students were far, far more entitled. They seemed to expect high grades without really working for them. By contrast, Second String students were much harder working and willing to admit that they made mistakes when those mistakes occurred. Conversely, Big Southern students seemed to fare better on exercises calling for creativity, while Second String students did better on exercises demanding the recall and integration of information.
Dr Gland nodded sagely. "We're seeing that in our med students," he said. "They want the answer just handed to them. But it's a problem, because the school is demanding a shift. We're supposed to encourage them to solve problems and think creatively in our classes, and leave the memorizing of information to them to do on their own. Unfortunately, the students do not like it at all! They are confused, they want to know 'why they weren't taught this stuff' before class."I mean, I was a student myself. And I know that if I had all that free time in the afternoon, I'd be out drinking, not memorizing parts of the inner ear. But there's really a challenge here, between the 'old style' of medical school education and the new 'top-down' mandate to teach creative problem solving. It seems like the problem-solving would really make better docs, but these guys aren't able to do it."
In other words, the medical school program is asking students to do the kind of creative, analytic work that one would hope one's doctor is doing. However, the students are unwilling (or unable?) to do the work of rote memorization that really is part of being a doctor. You do need to know the parts of the middle ear when you jam the otoscope in little Jimmy's noggin to discern if he has an ear infection. You need to know that an allergy to food X might make you allergic to drug Y. On the other hand, perhaps a more creative and analytic approach would have solved my "drug-resistant depression" problem far earlier. Maybe it would have prevented my grandma's death in hospital when she received the medication intended for the woman in the next room (systems engineering, anyone?).
So...the problem isn't just a problem for us in college. They're in medical school, too.
They're not just in med school. They're in practice. Sometimes they even get elected and go to Washington.
ReplyDeleteA pal in the business world complains bitterly about "Millennials" as he calls them. Apparently, the younger people coming into the business world are insufferable for their arrogance and sense of entitlement to the respect that's typically earned only through time and hard work. They demand advancement without effort, and consider themselves equals to people who are in fact their superiors in age, experience, wisdom, and accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI go to a pricy specialist in a fancy suburb of NYC who always makes a protective cross with his fingers when he walks into the little room and I'm passing the time with a chem book. And he invariably tells me "I hated chemistry." I know. People who liked it don't pretend chemistry books are vampires.
ReplyDeleteSo am I supposed to be surprised every time he sends one of my kidney stones to another doctor because he "can't figure this out"?
Anytime anyone tells me, "I hated physics," I reply, "It does require intelligence." This is one reason, whenever a physician asks what I do, I say I'm an astronomer. They say "Cool!" and actually call me "Doctor."
ReplyDelete