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Patterns of Dysfunctional Education
   
Shaun Kerry, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
   
Far from expensive, the solution would actually save billions of dollars.  The essential change would be a shift from external force to motivation from within.  Relevancy and priority are among the foundation values.

We are in an age of information explosion, made possible largely by the internet.  The problem, however, is that most of this information does not filter into the rigid institutional curriculum of our universities.  Required medical education today consists of four years of high school, four years of college, and four years of medical school.  Throughout these twelve years, a common pattern emerges: memorize data, pass a test, and forget what was learned.  This pattern runs counter to lasting learning and inhibits the development of creativity.  If one has a bad product, one must examine the way in which it is manufactured.

A Plan for Functional, Fast-Paced, and Enjoyable Medical Education

• Provide a common-sense medical-education program on the internet.
   
• Begin with a broad-based general science program, without the esoteric trivia.
   
• Provide a general overview
  of disease, prevention, medication, the doctor-patient relationship, and patient history taking.

This would be available to the student at his own pace, allowing the most intelligent, self motivated students to complete this phase of their training in a short period of time.

Real Medical Education Begins with Patient Interface

When the student felt ready, he would contact an available doctor of his choice, either directly, or through an internet matching program.  While providing a free service to the doctor by taking time consuming medical histories, the student would learn first-hand about diseases and their symptoms.  Actual person-to-person contact would create a lasting a vivid learning experience. 

Students would have 'apprenticeships' with a great many doctors, working in various styles of practices, and lasting up to six months.  If, on a given day, the student deals with patients for four hours, he would spend the rest of the day immersed in the study of medicine through the internet, meeting with his peers, or in discussion groups.