Incompetent?

There are times when I lie awake in bed at night wondering if I'm going to be a competent doctor when I graduate. I was supposed to have acquired 'self-study' and 'lifelong learning' skills in IMU, and here in Dundee, I have been thought to reflect on what I've learnt.

A couple of months ago, several of us, all 5th year students, were discussing the 5th year UniofDd curriculum. We arrived at the conclusion that current 5th year curriculum can in fact be shortened from approximately 30 weeks (including holidays), to a mere 12 weeks. And that's being generous.

Current 5th year curriculum:

2 theme special study modules (ssm), 4 weeks each, total of 8 weeks
2 clinical ssms, 4 weeks each, total of 8 weeks
2 house officer shadowing blocks, 4 weeks each, total of 8 weeks
1 rural GP block, total of 4 weeks.
Grand total of 28 weeks.


My curriculum:

1 GP block. 4 weeks.
2 shadowing blocks. 8 weeks.
Grand total: 12 weeks.


As you may have noticed, I have completely eliminated all special study modules. All the ssms I've attended, barring the current one, have been interesting, but ultimately, that's all they are, interesting. My current ssm is just crap.

The current uniod curriculum emphasizes reflection. Therefore, I propose that 4 weeks which would otherwise have been wasted on ssms be used for reflection. Preferably somewhere warm and sunny. Maybe even tropical. Somewhere where we can reflect on all our deficiencies and incompetencies and somehow be inspired to rectify these defects. And the remaining 12 weeks of 5th year would then be spent doing something useful.

Or, why not have us graduate right after the above grand total of 12 weeks. The rest of the year could then be spent doing clinical attachments, gaining actual work experience, learning more about medicine and surgery than we're actually expected to know, adding to our knowledge, to the ultimate effect that we'll be slightly more competent doctors.

The current UniofDd policy of producing doctors competent enough to work as house officers is just wrong. A consultant I was speaking to claims that during his 5 years of medical school, he was performing appendectomies and actively assisting in major surgery. He used to play an active role in the management of patients in the hospital, not just stand and stare like us. Where have those days gone? To be able to scrub in just to stand closer to the operating table here in the UniofDd has become a privilege, and is no longer part of the curriculum. In fact, 'scrubbing and gowning' is just another box to be signed in our books (more on these books later, not today).

In 5th year, we have to write glorified essays known as case discussion on a variety of topics, and we are provided with guidelines to help up write these essays. One such guideline, when discussing appropriate references for our essays, states, "The USA is not always right", referring to the quality of journal articles and other resources.

It is my opinion that they aren't always wrong. And, and, the UK is not always right either. The UniofDd medical curriculum would benefit if the brilliant, smart, and wonderful individuals in the medical education department would observe how things are done in other countries and incorporate the better elements of their medical programmes into the UniofDd curriculum. And then they should get rid of 90% of all this reflection bullshit. As it is, I am thoroughly disgusted by the quality of education I'm receiving, and the sooner I'm out and far away, the better.