User:PecMo/sandbox: Difference between revisions
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Despite general interest in most branches of medicine, one particular field in which I more or less have no interest at all is [[biochemistry]]. I intended to discuss either my personal perspective or that shared by the majority of medical students I’ve encountered, until I stumbled across this study<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Clack |first1=GB |title=Medical graduates evaluate the effectiveness of their education. |journal=Medical education |date=September 1994 |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=418-31 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2923.1994.tb02553.x |pmid=7845261 |url=https://asmepublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1994.tb02553.x}}</ref>, where 317 medical graduates of [[King’s College London]] were asked about perceptions of how well their pre-clinical coursework prepared them for the practical realities of medical practice. One specific evaluation point was the perceived accuracy and relevance of the factual content delivered in various core pre-clinical courses. |
Despite general interest in most branches of medicine, one particular field in which I more or less have no interest at all is [[biochemistry]]. I intended to discuss either my personal perspective or that shared by the majority of medical students I’ve encountered, until I stumbled across this study<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Clack |first1=GB |title=Medical graduates evaluate the effectiveness of their education. |journal=Medical education |date=September 1994 |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=418-31 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2923.1994.tb02553.x |pmid=7845261 |url=https://asmepublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1994.tb02553.x}}</ref>, where 317 medical graduates of [[King’s College London]] were asked about perceptions of how well their pre-clinical coursework prepared them for the practical realities of medical practice. One specific evaluation point was the perceived accuracy and relevance of the factual content delivered in various core pre-clinical courses. |
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Not so surprisingly, four out of five doctors (79.5%) reported an overabundance of clinically irrelevant factual biochemistry in their undergraduate medical education, compared to only 9.5% thinking the same about [[physiology]]. A 1974 [[Nuffield Foundation]] started by saying that "Biochemistry as a subject, was difficult and had little relevance to medicine", and it is irrational to claim that memorizing the arcane details of biochemistry is paramount for effective patient care, ignoring the reality that most of what medical students are taught vanishes into the ether by year three or four.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wood |first1=E. J. |title=How much biochemistry should a good doctor know? A biochemist's viewpoint |journal=Biochemical Education |date=1 April 1996 |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=82–85 |doi=10.1016/0307-4412(96)88959-X |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/030744129688959X}}</ref> |
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I remember when I was editing the [[TRPC6]] article (a [[cation channel]] present on the surface of many cells in the body), and I read a lot on the role of this channel both physiologically and pathologically. Then, I found this article<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tang |first1=Q |last2=Guo |first2=W |last3=Zheng |first3=L |last4=Wu |first4=JX |last5=Liu |first5=M |last6=Zhou |first6=X |last7=Zhang |first7=X |last8=Chen |first8=L |title=Structure of the receptor-activated human TRPC6 and TRPC3 ion channels. |journal=Cell research |date=July 2018 |volume=28 |issue=7 |pages=746-755 |doi=10.1038/s41422-018-0038-2 |pmid=29700422 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6028632/ |pmc=6028632}}</ref> about the structure of this channel. So I dove headfirst, devouring info on its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. But then, a pesky thought interrupted my scholarly feast: Does any of this actually matter? Does knowing where its amino acids hang out tell us anything useful about what it does in the body, or how it goes rogue in disease? Sadly, the answer seems to be a resounding nada. |
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What’s the solution? |
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'''What’s the solution, I hear you ask?''' The solution is for medical school biochemistry departments to reorient their focus towards equipping future doctors rather than solely preparing them for professional biochemistry careers. This necessitates designing the core curriculum around specifically tailored content directly applicable to medical practice.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=R.D. |title=How much biochemistry should a medical student be taught? — The viewpoint of the General Medical Council |journal=Biochemical Education |date=April 1996 |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=80–82 |doi=10.1016/0307-4412(96)00037-4 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/0307-4412(96)00037-4 |language=en}}</ref> |
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The solution is to realize that biochemistry Departments in medical schools are there primarily to train doctors, not professional biochemists. So the contribution of bio- chemical disciplines to the core at least must be specific- ally tailored for medical students. |
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Specifically tailored ( 🌹 ) |
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Revision as of 16:01, 5 February 2024
Despite general interest in most branches of medicine, one particular field in which I more or less have no interest at all is biochemistry. I intended to discuss either my personal perspective or that shared by the majority of medical students I’ve encountered, until I stumbled across this study[1], where 317 medical graduates of King’s College London were asked about perceptions of how well their pre-clinical coursework prepared them for the practical realities of medical practice. One specific evaluation point was the perceived accuracy and relevance of the factual content delivered in various core pre-clinical courses.
Not so surprisingly, four out of five doctors (79.5%) reported an overabundance of clinically irrelevant factual biochemistry in their undergraduate medical education, compared to only 9.5% thinking the same about physiology. A 1974 Nuffield Foundation started by saying that "Biochemistry as a subject, was difficult and had little relevance to medicine", and it is irrational to claim that memorizing the arcane details of biochemistry is paramount for effective patient care, ignoring the reality that most of what medical students are taught vanishes into the ether by year three or four.[2]
I remember when I was editing the TRPC6 article (a cation channel present on the surface of many cells in the body), and I read a lot on the role of this channel both physiologically and pathologically. Then, I found this article[3] about the structure of this channel. So I dove headfirst, devouring info on its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. But then, a pesky thought interrupted my scholarly feast: Does any of this actually matter? Does knowing where its amino acids hang out tell us anything useful about what it does in the body, or how it goes rogue in disease? Sadly, the answer seems to be a resounding nada.
What’s the solution, I hear you ask? The solution is for medical school biochemistry departments to reorient their focus towards equipping future doctors rather than solely preparing them for professional biochemistry careers. This necessitates designing the core curriculum around specifically tailored content directly applicable to medical practice.[4]
- ^ Clack, GB (September 1994). "Medical graduates evaluate the effectiveness of their education". Medical education. 28 (5): 418–31. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.1994.tb02553.x. PMID 7845261.
- ^ Wood, E. J. (1 April 1996). "How much biochemistry should a good doctor know? A biochemist's viewpoint". Biochemical Education. 24 (2): 82–85. doi:10.1016/0307-4412(96)88959-X.
- ^ Tang, Q; Guo, W; Zheng, L; Wu, JX; Liu, M; Zhou, X; Zhang, X; Chen, L (July 2018). "Structure of the receptor-activated human TRPC6 and TRPC3 ion channels". Cell research. 28 (7): 746–755. doi:10.1038/s41422-018-0038-2. PMC 6028632. PMID 29700422.
- ^ Cohen, R.D. (April 1996). "How much biochemistry should a medical student be taught? — The viewpoint of the General Medical Council". Biochemical Education. 24 (2): 80–82. doi:10.1016/0307-4412(96)00037-4.