I've been struck recently by the number of conversations I've had with people who were disappointed by the first two years of medical school. My preceptor told me that she "hated it" and considered dropping out of medical school. A friend, who's in grad school now, told me that he felt that he wasted two years of his life in medical school, and you forget everything later on anyway. It's what you learn in the clinic that really matters.
Just because people may think it was a waste of time doesn't necessarily indicate that it wasn't worthwhile. We may be taught right now how to think, rather than what to think. Perhaps more importantly, the socialization of the whole experience may play an equally important role. We're defining how we interact with patients, with each other, and being introduced into the world of medicine. Gradually. In a rather traumatic fashion.
I wonder who's done work on this stuff already?
