Focus for This Blog Post
In this blog post I will discuss some of my thoughts on interpreting the advice medical schools give to students. Sometimes it is great and sometimes it is not. They have specific ideas of what should and should not be done and also have incentives to fulfill certain outcomes, which may not lead them to put the interests of their students first.
Introduction – You Made it and Now Have More Questions Than Ever
Congratulations. You made it to medical school. Now, you realize you have ever more questions. You are looking everywhere and can’t seem to find answers to some basic questions. You look online and get dozens of competing answers. You ask your peers and get a bunch of different answers. Then, you hear your medical school is putting on some informational events. Panels for specialties. Preparing for boards. Guest speakers. Volunteer opportunities.
So, you go to some events from your medical school for advice. Some events you think are great and some are lame. You come back from some events thinking you learned a lot of good information, but then you hear other peers grumbling that everything that you were told was wrong. Your classmates tell you the medical school has a conspiracy against you and your class to keep you down. How do you interpret this information?
Opinions On Advice Abound –There is Rarely a Clear Answer
First of all, everyone has an opinion. Few opinions are well-formed. Most opinions are poor and based around very limited data. So, in forming your opinion, be aware of how much information you really have. Are you missing a big piece of information?
Desired Outcomes
Second, everyone in medical school is biased toward one outcome or another. It is a super-competitive political environment. Some schools are founded with the intention of providing primary care physicians to their communities—so they may well push information to gear their students toward primary care residencies.
Some schools are more elite and look down on primary care. Some people come from families with many physicians who all have their own opinion about which specialty is best and how best to match. Some people have no medical experience in their lives before entering medical school. So, in forming your opinion, be aware what biases may be influencing the information you hear.
Medical Schools have Agenda
Your medical school is going to be pushing its students toward something. Maybe it is research, maybe it is volunteer work. Perhaps it is primary care, perhaps it is prestigious specialties. Maybe they want some students to graduate and stay in the area. The medical school wants something from you even beyond your money.
Do Board Scores Matter? Advice Some Schools Give on Board Scores
Hypothetically, if your medical school is repeatedly stating that “board scores don’t matter” it may come from a place of knowing that certain tests are now “pass/fail,” but students and forums have discussed that this advice may also stem from a desire to keep students underperforming and going into primary care specialties. It has been considered that such a medical school may be ignorantly misguided or actively conspiring to lessen an emphasis on board scores so that students score lower and thus choose primary care fields.
In this case, to form a well-reasoned opinion on board scores would be to talk to the cohort ahead of you to see if scores really matter or not in matching to desired residencies, look at discussions among medical societies about the importance of board scores, and to see how important board scores are specifically for your desired future career.
Medical Schools Want to Look Good
Your medical school is also a political machine. Most medical schools want to look as good as possible and get as much donation money as possible. Perhaps the medical school will push the students toward some activism or mandate certain lectures or activities that look good when reported into the greater community.
The medical school wants you to make them look good. Your success does that, but also being able to present you in a certain light helps them accomplish that. You may or may not agree with what the medical school supports or wants you to support.
Final Thoughts – Put Yourself First and Do Your Own Research
When interpreting the advice your medical school gives you, care most about what it means to you and your future career. Look to multiple sources discussing the topic. See what professionals in your desired field have to say. Discuss with your mentors. Discuss with peers desiring a similar specialty.
Look Out for Yourself, Don’t Trust Any Advice Blindly
You cannot just trust your medical school when they give you advice. They have biases toward leading you one way or another. You need to look out for yourself. From scheduling your rotations, to determining the importance of boards prep, and to deciding which specialty to pursue you are on your own. Even if you end up doing everything the medical school advises you to do, if you don’t end up where you want to be they will say you are the one who made all the decisions.
Leave a Comment
Leave a comment on anything you would like me to discuss regarding the medical education journey, my own experience, or anything you would like me to cover.