Guest rubberoduck Posted October 2, 2005 Report Share Posted October 2, 2005 Hi, I'm not actually in medical school, but I'm applying this year. There a question that's been bugging me for years. I've been interested in medicine since end of highschool, but my dad, who went through medical school in China, always talks about his photographic memory and how that is absolutely critical for doing medical school. I don't have a bad memory, but I wouldn't call it photographic or anything like that. So my question is, do you need a really good memory for doing well in med school? I've always been partial to systematic memorization (something that has a pattern, such as organic chemistry), would that compensate for my lack of a photographic memory? Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest moo Posted October 3, 2005 Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 Depends on the subject. Some, like anatomy and histology are all about memorizing. Others like physiology and pharmacology require a bit more thinking. But overall, med school is very memorization intensive. Memorizing isn't hard... it just takes a lot of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MDHopefully2005 Posted October 3, 2005 Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 Depends on the school as well. Mac doesn't really depend on memorization (though I'm sure there is stuff I'm going to have to memorize while I'm here!), we deal with case studies to learn our material and we tend to see things several times in different ways which tends to facilitate a better memory for the material (for me anyways!). We also spend a lot of the time teaching ourselves and each other in small groups which also helps make things stick in your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rubberoduck Posted October 3, 2005 Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 thanks for your input. i guess i'll be aiming for mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest coastalslacker Posted October 3, 2005 Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 Ummmm, whether you're learning through case studies or lectures, it's still memorizing-it just might not be consciously memorizing. You don't have to be very smart to do medicine, you just have to be willing to memorize lots of stuff. If memorizing is easy for you it's a bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UTMed07 Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 ... do you need a really good memory for doing well in med school?It helps. I think medicine is a lot like learning another language.I've always been partial to systematic memorization (something that has a pattern, such as organic chemistry), would that compensate for my lack of a photographic memory?Systems are good and so are mnemonics if you find they help. Any case, I think it is all relative. I came from engineering where almost all my tests were open book/open notes or with an aid sheet... it was all understanding. Doing only closed book tests was a bit of shock at first... Memorizing isn't hard... it just takes a lot of time.I think that's true. Also, it is a bit mindless... the fun in memorizing is the application--helping patients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cracked30 Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Medical school is about memorization and medicine is too. There are simply things you must know in your head in an emergency. Picture this... A patient dying from anaphylaxis, and you have to look up the correct dose of epinephrine, or look up the right size endotracheal tube, or look up how to insert an endotracheal tube? Please, don't be my doc if you can't commit to memorization. Perhaps UWO2005 can add his opinion since he is the acute care guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marbledust Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Please, don't be my doc if you can't commit to memorization. Would you want one with an abrassive personality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kaymcee Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 ICE BURN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noncestvrai Posted October 8, 2005 Report Share Posted October 8, 2005 You need a good memory, but if you understand the concepts, it's way easier to retain the stuff. noncestvrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest satsumargirl Posted October 9, 2005 Report Share Posted October 9, 2005 With my first med school exam coming up this Friday...I can say that we have alot of info to cram into our heads in a short period of time. So having a good memory probably will help. I don't personally think that I am a great memorizer, I prefer to understand concepts. But I am finding med school doesn't give you too much time to really understand all the concepts so resort to memorizing. This is the first block though so it may get better? As for PBL ... Ottawa also uses PBL. We have PBL Mon morning where we get our case. Then we meet again Friday morning (group of 8) and discuss our findings. The lectures that week pertain to the case, so lectures are tied into the self-directed PBL learning. And we also have an "emedicine" program, so all your lecture notes and PBL cases etc. are loaded onto your laptop (that all students have to buy when they get accepted). Great for anatomy and histology review, since there are nice slides and pics embedded. PBLs are mandatory but lectures aren't since you have the notes on your computer (I don'tknow anybody who doesn't go to lecture though). So you have a range of learning styles catered to. If you go for the French stream, from the start you are paired with a family doc for one afternoon a week to learn interview and physical exam skills. And every other week we get "simulated clinics" where we have a case and "actor patients" and then you get feedback from both the patient and the doc that was supervising. So, more ways to apply what you are learning. But there is no way around memorizing though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest McMastergirl Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 I've come to realize, after completing med school (at Mac) and 16 months of residency, that a "photographic" memory would really help in medicine, but isn't essential. I think that being able to remember medical facts is linked to understanding. The time you put into learning will pay off. Understand the material on a deeper level and you will not forget it. If you just try to memorize it, it will be gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest strider2004 Posted October 13, 2005 Report Share Posted October 13, 2005 I think it's much more important to be able to THINK THROUGH problems rather than memorize the answer. Of course, every solution in medicine requires you to know something about the disease but in being an effective physician, common sense is much more important(and believe me, I've seen some doctors/doctors-to-be who could use some). Everything you will need to remember, you will because it will be drilled into your head over and over again. No one expects you do see something once and then remember it 2 years later. That's why we have such long residency programs, to give people the exposure to enough cases so that they will remember what to do. Don't remember the dose of epinephrine or vasopressin in a code? Well that's an easy one. Crash carts come with prepackaged, predosed ampules of medications. Can't remember what size ET tube to use? Well the first time you need to know, someone will be there to help you. The next time, trust me, you'll know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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