Does it matter which medical school you go to?
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Does it matter which medical school you go to?
Discuss non-medical topics
We are often told that some medical schools are better than others, does this make a difference in the standards of the doctors they produce?
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 26/2/2012 5:06 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2
First: 13/8/2011 Last: 26/2/2012 |
While a prestigious medical school might be more prepared to teach,, having a wider variety of resources at their disposal, i am of the opinion that the quality of doctor you become depends 60% on you as an individual and 40% on the institution that forms you.What good is entering a prestigious college if you dont have the determination, interest and self motivation necessary to succees..... |
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 26/2/2012 7:18 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 3
First: 26/2/2012 Last: 17/10/2012 |
i did not go to a very popular med school.. and i did feel the pinch. in the kind of opprtunities acadamically we had...the clinical cases we were exposed to. After my graduation I did my best to get rid of that inferiority by doing posts at other hospitals ,internships, passing international exams. i had to work hard in my post graduation exams to be at par with my colleagues. inspite of this i am still judged by my medical school instead of my achievements .people(doctors,colleagues) still make up their mind about how good a doctor i am when i tell them where i graduated from..not that i care anymore. med school plays an important role in moulding you as a doctor. but dont just go by the name of the med school.. we all read the same stantard texts,have the same curriculum... how good a doctor you are has more to do with an individual rather than only the med school you go to. |
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 27/2/2012 1:32 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2
First: 27/2/2012 Last: 29/2/2012 |
If you are good enough it probably does not matter, if you are more borderline student in some aspects some curriculae may help you progress further than others. Image probably helps some students more in progressing from Oxbridge and perhaps some traditional medical schools than others. It is student selection that is the most important aspect, get this right and within limits it does not matter which med school they go to, they will do well.Posted by Anand1986[/QUOTE] |
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 29/2/2012 2:56 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 6
First: 17/11/2009 Last: 26/8/2012 |
When I applied to medical school, I was 17. I was vaguely aware at the time that there were differences in the styles of teaching (PBL was a big thing at the time, and universities were broadly split as to whether they used it or not), but I didn't really understand how these differences would translate into their graduates. Having grown up in Oxford, and from an academic family, I was well aware of the Oxbridge system - but also wanted to get away from it (teenage rebellion). In the naive belief that all medical schools should produce competent doctors, I assumed this meant all medical schools would produce equal doctors. So I went to Dundee - about as far, geographically and philosophically - as I could get. Dundee appealled because it wasn't all-out-PBL (which sounded pretty anarchic) and had a lecture-based course for the first few years, but was 'integrated', with clinical exposure throughout. So I thought from the prospectus, at least. However, these things don't always translate in practice. Three years of lectures later, I realised that if 10 hours of lectures a week are to be endured, they have to be from expert lecturers (and that is not synonymous with 'clinicians'). Anyone that thinks 60 - 70 slides in a 60 minute lecture is really explaining anything (beyond lists and lists of bullet-points) is misguided, and I am sure that the best lecturers are to be found in the more high-profile universities. Likewise, the 'integrated' aspect turned out to be a much-reduced emphasis on basic sciences (compared to my peers at other universities, who have a much greater understanding) in exchange for some patchy ward teaching, and an afternoon a week in GP practices without meeting any patients (the 'Doctors, Patients, and Communities' strand). In retrospect, I don't think this was a wise trade-off. I haven't graduated yet, so I can't say how this will shape me as a doctor. I have heard that Dundee is known for producing very competent foundation doctors, who then don't do as well in post-graduate exams - probably a result of the emphasis on clinical skills over basic science (being able to examine a patient well isn't very helpful if you can't relate it to the mechanisms of disease!). I do think different medical schools produce different styles of doctor - and I don't think this is a bad thing. Someone mentioned earlier that Imperial has a strong emphasis on surgery, and that Dundee graduates do well in the MRCGP exams: Dundee's course definitely has a strong emphasis on GP. Perhaps medical schools should be much more forthcoming about the kind of doctors they are trying to produce, and applicants might choose based on that. Of course, you will change your mind many times throughout the course, but I am glad that I do want to become a GP at the end of my course - as I think I would have a very uphill struggle if I wanted to be a Dundee-graduate surgeon! Finally, the professionalism of the course administration is a big factor - but unforutnately this may be pretty poor across the board, from talking to students at other universities. Our blocks have very little coordination between them, and notices and announcements are often last-minute and, on occasion, sent out after-the-event. Our online learning environment used to be in keeping with the rest of the university, but is now a fragmented mess of Wordpress blogs, many made by students in their holidays. Our exams are home-baked multiple-choice exams, with no past papers as the same limited pot is reused each year - meaning no feedback on our performance beyond a raw percentage overall. However, when examples from previous exams are given in revision sessions, errors have been found in the questions on an unsettling number of occasions (to the now notorious response of 'it will be sorted by the exams this year'). I am sure that larger and more prestigeous medical schools benefit from greater resources in creating a more professional atmosphere when it comes to the administration of the course, both online and offline, and in their examinations and feedback. I hope this doesn't sound too dire - I've enjoyed being in Scotland, and there is certainly an excellent stretch of river to row on! For all the problems with administration, I am sure that whatever medical school you go to, you will only get out as much as you put in. But universities exist as institutions to foster supportive and inspiring learning environments - and it is inevitable that some will have the resources and the reputation to attract the best teachers and the best applicants.
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 3/4/2012 11:13 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 6
First: 12/12/2011 Last: 3/4/2012 |
In Response to Does it matter which medical school you go to?: The mentorship, traditions and the environment of a medical school, i think have an impact on the quality of doctors/graduates it produces. It is a matter of big debate in Pakistan where the impact of graduation from a particular medical school iinfluences the further options a med. school graduate will consider for post grad. training and foreign liscencing exams for medical practice and training. |
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 13/4/2012 4:09 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 17
First: 9/3/2012 Last: 27/4/2012 |
At some point I agree that different medical school will gives different method of teaching and different environment but what matter the most is their will to learn and always update their knowledge. |
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 22/4/2012 12:21 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 6
First: 6/11/2011 Last: 22/4/2012 |
I, personally, disagree with this; whichever medical school one attends, they all study medicine. Medicine will be the same everywhere so why should it make a difference? |
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Re: Does it matter which medical school you go to?
posted at 23/4/2012 7:29 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 3
First: 14/4/2012 Last: 23/4/2012 |
Yes, it does if you a foreign medical graduate !! I went to a medical school in Colombo, Sri Lanka established over 140 years ago.We were taught in English by very experienced clinicians trained in the UK( At that time, the UK was the place to go to for post graduate studies for doctors from Sri Lanka (Then called by its colonial name Ceylon). Now the post grads go to Australia and New Zealand where they are well recieved and well trained. Although I had much more experience than the British graduates who competed with me sho /reg posts, I did not get them. .The blue eyed,blonde boys and girls from British universities got the jobs. We were left to pick up the leftovers! Broke, Bitter Baffled and Belittled by the British medical establishment The private school I studied at in Sri lanka were run by British teachers who instilled in us the belief or British concept the "Fairness" was a virtue of the British . How we were fooled at a young age! Yes, The medical school you go to, matter where jobs are concerned. However, this was in 1975. The present day second generation immigrants who go to the British medical schools are really tops and I hope that they do not face the dilemma we overseas graduates faced in the 70' and 80' Perhaps they still do! |
