ASK DOCTOR CLARKE (part 1)

As a medical student I am always looking for new books or resources to study from. The Internet has made medical education very accessible especially when you know what you are looking for. You also have to venture forth with the understanding that some of the information on the internet is “crap.”

If you are interested in seeing what the academics are saying about the topic you can do a pub med search on “medical education.” The list of papers is embarrassingly long. In your search you will find lists of “original” papers that all say the same thing. Amazing! These papers use fancy words like “vertical integration” and “systems based learning.” These papers all espouse the novel idea that if you are teaching the cardiovascular system, its new and innovative to teach the anatomy, physiology, pharmacology as well of pathology of the cardiovascular system at the same time. Eureka! Was I the first one to ever write that? I bet I was. I should be published.

As a professional student, I see most of these papers as old wine in a new bottle. I refused to write a paper on “medical education” at one stage in my medical school career. Lets just say we weren’t received with “smiles” at the time.

When I have a question about anything medical I do a Google search or just use Wikipedia and I have yet to be disappointed. I am also now convinced that the line in the movie Good Will Hunting about a library card being better than a ivy league degree is true, "How you like dem apples!" I only say this after blowing a quarter million on my medical school education so I obviously have a right as John McCain would say, "to do some straight talk here." As a friend of mine once said during lecture, “I think this power point lecture was taken straight from Wikipedia.” For 35,000 Euros per year, it pisses me off to no end that he was right! Dang!

I am in the process of convincing myself you could be a fantastic doctor not ever having gone to medical school. It seems as long as you were pointed in the right direction in terms of what to read you would for the most part be ok (aside for your utter lack of clinical skillz but you know what I am getting at here). In some medical schools, including mine, we call going off and reading “self directed learning.” They even allocate time in our schedule for it. Most of the time it occurs when a lecture has been unduly canceled. "Self directed learning" is code speak from any medical educator for, "piss off I am to busy to teach you because.......

A) "I am saving lives....Duuuuhhh!"

B) "I am trying to make this golf trip happen"

C) I forgot about your silly lecture but I will say aloud, "Its quite obvious you are all being spoon fed so I don't see why your complaining lecture is canceled!" (which is my favorite because its not really an excuse as to why lecture was canceled)

D)" I am enjoying this damn fine cup of hospital coffee with this moderately attractive secretary."

Its so awesome when they charge me to go read alone! Medical education in Europe is not as socialized as Americans think. There are some serious capitalists over here!

Whats so neat about medical education aside from the plethora of crappy papers out there on the topic is the ability to tap into to all this information. For example you can go on Ebay and get video lectures from Kaplan for all your USMLE exams. You can download Goljans pathology lectures (30+ hours of them "its on boards") or get your hands on emergency ICU surgery rounds on Itunes. You can even watch a live operation on ORLIVE.com. All this while sitting at home slugging down a diet coke and eating pork rinds. The best part is, most of it is for free. Free goes very well with pork rinds and a diet coke.

So why I am writing this you ask? Because I have found a resource that I have enjoyed called www.askdoctorclarke.com (FREE). I have also signed up for his revision lectures on the 26 and 27th of this month in Dublin which are co sponsored by the (MPS) Medical Protection Society. It cost me $ 233 bucks and I payed it with a smile because his website is just so damned good. He has already sent me homework to do before the two day lecture extravaganza. Nerd alert! He appears to be very organized. I like that in a man. I also like his goatee in cartoon format. Actually I am pretty jealous of his goatee in cartoon format.

I must admit Dr. Clarke has left my bank account hurting like a fat kid playing Dodge Ball (Dodge Ball is capitalized because it’s a serious game that has left thousands of children scarred for life, Awesome!).

My account statement reads as follows:

Transactions 1 - 32 for Lifeline Checking account @#$%@#$%^^
January 14 2008
Available Balance: $71.15
Date Description
January 14 2008 POS DEBIT DR ROBERT CLARKE BARNET $233.19

Dr Clarke you better be worth it or else I will complain on my blog! Yeah I am so empowered (sarcasm).

Go to his website http://www.askdoctorclarke.com/ sign up and check it out. It is free and his clinical videos are straight to the point and excellent for clinical finals. Plus, the violin music is class.

I plan to write a review of Dr Clarke and his two day Medicine and Surgery Bonanza and you better read it. If the course totally sucks, I might save you 233.18 smackers.

It is also within the scope of my personality to write a stunning review even if the course is truly awful. You never know, stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion in part 2!

How exciting! (sarcasm)

-BJM