Do Doctors Operate on Dream or Memory?

Definitions:

Dream = Creativity
Memory = Information

If the Dream/Memory ratio of a recent graduate of medical school is high, that doctor is more like a medical researcher. If it is low, that recent graduate of medical school is more like a doctor. If the ratio increases, that doctor is becoming more like a medical researcher. If the ratio decreases, that doctor is becoming more like a doctor.

Um, speaking from experience, it does require creativity to be a doctor. You have to be able to improvise treatments when the situations necessitates it, and very few cases, at least in internal medicine, are exactly the same.

Also, can you provide some sources or, well, data at all regarding this thing you call "dream" creativity? Research requires just as much, if not MORE pure logic/information than being a clinical physician. I really don't get what you're trying to say with this topic.



[edit on 11/3/2006 by bsl4doc]

Originally posted by GreatTech
Definitions:

Dream = Creativity
Memory = Information

If the Dream/Memory ratio of a recent graduate of medical school is high, that doctor is more like a medical researcher. If it is low, that recent graduate of medical school is more like a doctor. If the ratio increases, that doctor is becoming more like a medical researcher. If the ratio decreases, that doctor is becoming more like a doctor.

If I understand your question, then niether option really applies.

In order to become an MD, you have to be extremely information oriented in the first place. You memorize an incredible amount of information. You have to be able to remember and synthesize information and to retrieve it accurately under some very stressful situations.

The differences tend to be that the researchers have a "cause" that they know about and have a driving need to know more about this and are willing to give up a full-time practice and are willing to acquire other skills (preparation of materials) in order to search for answers.

Don't you think maybe the greatest factor in which path you take is whether you work better with people versus concepts? If you have an affinity to working with concepts versus people you are going to naturally gravitate to research and vice versa if you enjoy working with people.

delete this if you would.

[edit on 4-11-2006 by oxygen_kills]

Doctors are very talented and it is extremely difficult to even be accepted into medical school. I feel doctors use creativity in their practice but that too much creativity should be discouraged (because of patient risk factors) and saved for researchers in labs; obviously extreme creativity is still necessary given the long list of incurable diseases.

I have deep respect for doctors and admire the work they do. In fact, many might be the best medical researchers. If they find the calling for medical research, I believe that each human should gratefully accept this as much more top-level research is needed.

Originally posted by Valhall
Don't you think maybe the greatest factor in which path you take is whether you work better with people versus concepts? If you have an affinity to working with concepts versus people you are going to naturally gravitate to research and vice versa if you enjoy working with people.

Y'know, that's an excellent question. I used to be a teaching assistant at the Texas Tech Medical School, so I saw a lot of pre-MDs and a lot of MDs. I actually didn't notice much of a difference in people skills in researchers and in those who went into practice.

There were some who went into practice who had... abominable people skills. I felt very sorry for their patients!

lol, Byrd. I think I've met at least two of those "abominable bed side" docs. The crazy (and unfortunate) thing is they tend to be the better doctors (skills wise). I say unfortunate because they tend to cast a bad impression on patients and therefore some patients don't go back to them, and end up missing out on good treatment.