Hiding Under a Standardized Rock

I haven't posted anything for a while because I've been spending all my time cramming reviewing for my upcoming Pathology Boards examination. Being in the medical profession, you get used to the idea of jumping through hoops, many of them being of the standardized test variety. In college, we study to get high MCAT scores so we can get into the dream medical school. Then once in medical school, you have step I and step II of the USMLEs (United States Medical Licensing Exam), followed by step III in residency.

Now, in under a week, I'll have the pleasure of experiencing the next hoop, a gold-plated, three thousand dollar hoop that, in a way, is the culmination of five years of residency and four years of medical school. Assuming I pass, I can consider myself "certified" to practice medicine as a fully-trained pathologist. Obviously, a test of this great importance demands a great deal of preparation. Thus the hours, days, and weeks spent in solitude devoted to reviewing rare tumors, genetic syndromes, sub-specialties previously overlooked (i.e. forensics), and just plain useless trivia in hopes of anticipating the obscure minutiae that will be thrown our way. All this in addition to the regular work of being a pathology resident, an entirely unrelated task.

It make sense to test all doctors to make sure they have some minimal level of competency. And since this is America, the way we do it is through standardized testing. (If its good enough for elementary school kids, its good enough for physicians.) Too bad that standardized testing is such an inferior way to test the quality of a physician. What it tests well is one's ability to take a standardized test. Luckily, I've always been adept at multiple-choice standardized exams, so perhaps I shouldn't complain too much. Good test taking skills will get you far in life.

If I had time to think about it some more, maybe instead of just complaining I could suggest a better way to take the measure of a good pathologist. Unfortunately, I kinda have this big exam next week to prepare for, so back under my rock I go.

-Brian