Huh. My experience is somewhat similar to yours in the sense that I never was a big fan of memorization, and I’m glad that I could outsource some parts of the process to Anki. I also seem to outperform my peers in complex situations where ready made decision algorithms are not available, and outperformed them in the few courses in medschool that were not heavy on memorization. The complex situations obviously don’t benefit from bayes too much, but they benefit from understanding the relevant cognitive biases.
The medical degree is a financial jackpot here in Finland, since I was actually paid for studying, and landed in one of the top 3 best paying professions in the country straight out of medschool. Money attracts every type, and the selection process doesn’t especially favor rationalists, who happen to be rare. It just baffles me how the need for rationality doesn’t become self evident for med students in the process of becoming a doctor, not to mention after that.
how the need for rationality doesn’t become self evident for med students in the process of becoming a doctor,
Is it just a matter of terminology? I would guess that all med students will agree that they should be able to make a correct diagnosis (where correct = corresponding to the underlying reality) and then prescribe appropriate treatment (where appropriate = effective in achieving goals set for this patient).
Whatever the terminology, they should make the connection between the process of decision making and the science of decision making, which they don’t seem to do. Medicine is like this isolated bubble where every insight must come from the medical community itself.
I found overcoming bias and became a rationalist during med school. Finding the blog was purely accidental, although I recognized the need for understanding my thinking, so I’m not sure what form this need would have taken given a slightly different circumstance.
Huh. My experience is somewhat similar to yours in the sense that I never was a big fan of memorization, and I’m glad that I could outsource some parts of the process to Anki. I also seem to outperform my peers in complex situations where ready made decision algorithms are not available, and outperformed them in the few courses in medschool that were not heavy on memorization. The complex situations obviously don’t benefit from bayes too much, but they benefit from understanding the relevant cognitive biases.
The medical degree is a financial jackpot here in Finland, since I was actually paid for studying, and landed in one of the top 3 best paying professions in the country straight out of medschool. Money attracts every type, and the selection process doesn’t especially favor rationalists, who happen to be rare. It just baffles me how the need for rationality doesn’t become self evident for med students in the process of becoming a doctor, not to mention after that.
Is it just a matter of terminology? I would guess that all med students will agree that they should be able to make a correct diagnosis (where correct = corresponding to the underlying reality) and then prescribe appropriate treatment (where appropriate = effective in achieving goals set for this patient).
Whatever the terminology, they should make the connection between the process of decision making and the science of decision making, which they don’t seem to do. Medicine is like this isolated bubble where every insight must come from the medical community itself.
I found overcoming bias and became a rationalist during med school. Finding the blog was purely accidental, although I recognized the need for understanding my thinking, so I’m not sure what form this need would have taken given a slightly different circumstance.