Forums > Social Chat > Leave it to UMich...
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HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted:
So we had three hours of lecture on substance abuse disorders an an hour of lecture on body image/eating disorders today.
Now, these are BIG FRIGGIN' DEAL topics. I mean, this is important stuff and it is really crucial that medical students are very well educated as to the features of these disorders, the underlying psychology, and the treatment. Someone giving these lectures should demonstrate that he or she cares about the topic and use effective public speaking style to convey this to us.
But instead...
In typical University of Michigan Medical School style, we had boring lecturers who just read word-for-word off their powerpoint slides in a droning monotone. Our first lecturer said "um" between every sentence and droned on about cocaine's pharmacology, and wanted us to know that it stimulates activity in the dopaminergic pathway between the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens. Our second lecturer at least cracked a few jokes, but again, it was more about the pharmacology of alcohol than the abuse syndromes associated with it. Our third lecturer just droned on with this point-by-point description of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa with no illustrative images or case studies to drive the points home. I left in the middle of that lecture because she was reading directly word-for-word off her PowerPoint slides and I could read them better without her distracting me with her droning.
I'm pretty upset about this. The University of Michigan Medical School is ranked #6 in the nation and as a top-ten medical school, we should have better quality of instruction than this, especially on such prevalent and important issues. 19% of the U.S. population has had a substance abuse disorder and our school can't be arsed to give us a decent lecture on it.
And then people wonder why doctors are so clueless about this sort of thing.
So we had three hours of lecture on substance abuse disorders an an hour of lecture on body image/eating disorders today.
Now, these are BIG FRIGGIN' DEAL topics. I mean, this is important stuff and it is really crucial that medical students are very well educated as to the features of these disorders, the underlying psychology, and the treatment. Someone giving these lectures should demonstrate that he or she cares about the topic and use effective public speaking style to convey this to us.
But instead...
In typical University of Michigan Medical School style, we had boring lecturers who just read word-for-word off their powerpoint slides in a droning monotone. Our first lecturer said "um" between every sentence and droned on about cocaine's pharmacology, and wanted us to know that it stimulates activity in the dopaminergic pathway between the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens. Our second lecturer at least cracked a few jokes, but again, it was more about the pharmacology of alcohol than the abuse syndromes associated with it. Our third lecturer just droned on with this point-by-point description of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa with no illustrative images or case studies to drive the points home. I left in the middle of that lecture because she was reading directly word-for-word off her PowerPoint slides and I could read them better without her distracting me with her droning.
I'm pretty upset about this. The University of Michigan Medical School is ranked #6 in the nation and as a top-ten medical school, we should have better quality of instruction than this, especially on such prevalent and important issues. 19% of the U.S. population has had a substance abuse disorder and our school can't be arsed to give us a decent lecture on it.
And then people wonder why doctors are so clueless about this sort of thing.
-Mike
Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella
A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura
member
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
1,591 posts
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
Posted:
The problem is universitys like to hire professors who write lots of books. It's great to say your professor of scatology has written 8 books about BS. Two of them best sellers.
But being a good writter doesn't always mean your a good speaker.
But hey if you are trying to promote your university you can say Professor Crap writer of 8 books full of BS teaches the fine subject of scatology.
They are a business afterall.
The problem is universitys like to hire professors who write lots of books. It's great to say your professor of scatology has written 8 books about BS. Two of them best sellers.
But being a good writter doesn't always mean your a good speaker.
But hey if you are trying to promote your university you can say Professor Crap writer of 8 books full of BS teaches the fine subject of scatology.
They are a business afterall.
BRONZE Member
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted:
I know how you feel, MikeG.
Perhaps your Uni is ranked so highly because of the students, rather than the lecturers?
It is a good sign that you know of the importance of substance abuse, and are more interested in the diagnosis and treatment than the more academic info.
You could maybe talk to some other students and form a small study group to find more out with each other.
As long as there aren't any "practical" expirements...
Good on you seeing the importance of this topic, I think the university probably just sees at as another part of the curriculum.
I know how you feel, MikeG.
Perhaps your Uni is ranked so highly because of the students, rather than the lecturers?
It is a good sign that you know of the importance of substance abuse, and are more interested in the diagnosis and treatment than the more academic info.
You could maybe talk to some other students and form a small study group to find more out with each other.
As long as there aren't any "practical" expirements...
Good on you seeing the importance of this topic, I think the university probably just sees at as another part of the curriculum.
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GOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted:
The problem, Charles, is that here, medicine is an anti-intellectual field. It completely stifles curiosity under the sheer weight of the volume of information that we are expected to commit to memory. Ask a question, and your answer will only be more information.
Students here are not interested in learning any more than we absolutely have to. We're already so busy committing to memory what we will be tested on that people aren't going to spend extra time learning about other stuff because there just isn't that time.
The problem, Charles, is that here, medicine is an anti-intellectual field. It completely stifles curiosity under the sheer weight of the volume of information that we are expected to commit to memory. Ask a question, and your answer will only be more information.
Students here are not interested in learning any more than we absolutely have to. We're already so busy committing to memory what we will be tested on that people aren't going to spend extra time learning about other stuff because there just isn't that time.
-Mike
Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella
A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura
SILVER Member
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posted:
I understand what you mean. Medicine isn't the only anti-intellectual field. I have a business-degree background, however I did the strange majors of Management and Human Resource Development (training). Most of my fellow students did Accounting or Finance. So they learnt the economic model and extolled the benefits of perfect competition, they learnt and never challenged it. They were taught it as though it wasn't a model (an approximation of reality) rather they were taught it as though it was reality. The same with many other concepts.
Towards the end of the degree, some would decide that they need to make up their credit points with subjects in other areas, so they would choose to do the capstone subject in the management major. The subject would be packed with people who had not done anything in the area before, and who not only didn't understand what was being done, but dismissed it as a load of buttocks.
So now many of them are in accounting firms, in large accounting firms and just about to move into management consultancy. Whilst they expect to have to do further qualifications in accounting to practice as a chartered accountant, they don't feel they even need to study management to consult. So they copy and paste the five previous reports into a new report for a client, or follow the companies special theories on management, without considering whether it is right or wrong.
Maybe it has always been thus. Maybe there are very few people who challenge the status quo, or have a thirst for knowledge that drives them beyond the curriculum. *shrug* all I can say is keep trying, Mike. We appreciate it, and it will be appreciated in the future
[ 09. March 2003, 11:27: Message edited by: Rozi ]
I understand what you mean. Medicine isn't the only anti-intellectual field. I have a business-degree background, however I did the strange majors of Management and Human Resource Development (training). Most of my fellow students did Accounting or Finance. So they learnt the economic model and extolled the benefits of perfect competition, they learnt and never challenged it. They were taught it as though it wasn't a model (an approximation of reality) rather they were taught it as though it was reality. The same with many other concepts.
Towards the end of the degree, some would decide that they need to make up their credit points with subjects in other areas, so they would choose to do the capstone subject in the management major. The subject would be packed with people who had not done anything in the area before, and who not only didn't understand what was being done, but dismissed it as a load of buttocks.
So now many of them are in accounting firms, in large accounting firms and just about to move into management consultancy. Whilst they expect to have to do further qualifications in accounting to practice as a chartered accountant, they don't feel they even need to study management to consult. So they copy and paste the five previous reports into a new report for a client, or follow the companies special theories on management, without considering whether it is right or wrong.
Maybe it has always been thus. Maybe there are very few people who challenge the status quo, or have a thirst for knowledge that drives them beyond the curriculum. *shrug* all I can say is keep trying, Mike. We appreciate it, and it will be appreciated in the future
[ 09. March 2003, 11:27: Message edited by: Rozi ]
It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.
What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...
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