My step-daughter is in medical school, and publishes a blog about her experiences. Some interesting recent quotes (she is writing 3rd semester finals this week)
"today’s final is blocks 1-3 cumulative with a bunch of neurological exam stuff thrown in. i know my spinal cord transections and syndromes way better than i did when we first learned them in May. and i know blood supply like nobody’s biznez."
and
"Dr. L indulged us in a seemingly never-ending 4 hour Genetics review yesterday afternoon for the seemingly never-ending 4 month Genetics cumulative final. he just stuck around and kept teaching as long as there were students (about 15 of us) willing to listen. it was great! and really very generous of him. i mean, it’s not like the Assistant Dean isn’t a busy man.
i found the review session particularly helpful because even though i don’t like studying in groups, i have a hard time identifying the small bits and pieces i’m neglecting or forgetting."
From her posts, I gather that she has a LOT of straight memory work to do to get through these exams. She also has to write standardized exams which I assume require the same kinds of memory skills to get through.
This is 2008. I know she will need to be able to look up info and come to some new kinds of creative constructive knowledge, but she will also have to rely on a fair chunk of stored basic knowledge aquired by good old fashioned pre-21st century methods in order to be a good doctor.
Are we sometimes forgetting this when we write about "the learners of the future?"
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From what you have described, I think we need to remember that there are many things that rely on many of the skills that were pre-21st century. As I read what your daughter was writing, I thought "Well, I sure wouldn't want the doctor to say "Could someone google heart transplant so I can see what comes next!" We sometimes become so enthused with using the new technologies that we swing way to one side, forgetting that balance is required. There are so many jobs that require memory recall and the use of stored information. Also, although I would expect that your daughter might become a very creative doctor, I'm not sure I want her trying out those creative new routines on me without making sure they work, which requires some plain hard work and rigorous testing. Balance, it's crucial to success in all our endevours!
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