Is everyone dissatisfied?

Editor - Something I have noticed in my first two years of medical school is the attitude of medical students towards the content and running of the course, and towards the medical school establishment in general. There seems to be a culture of complaint and blame among students.

With the introduction of the new integrated course there has been much student evaluation and feedback sessions. Often, I hear remarks such as: “Our anatomy teaching time has been reduced and the consultants will think we know nothing on xxx when we get on the wards,” or “PBL is a waste of time” and “communication skills teaching takes up valuable study time.” (Although I make no claims to be any better, it seems to me that the students who complain most about these things skip chunks of the course anyway.) These thoughts are rarely channelled in the right direction at course convenor meetings, where I have heard people self-righteously shout down the poor souls who organise our course without listening to a word they may offer in defence.

Older students from preintegration days think that we do not spend enough time learning the Latin for all 1001 muscles of the hand and their insertions in anatomy, and make lofty comments about the fact that we should not be allowed on the wards so early in our training. The whole medical school complains about the main body of the college that it is attached to, with bitter and provocative articles in student magazines suggesting that it is an evil force trying to close all the bars, steal our funding, and swallow up our sports teams. Does this reflect a general resistance to change handed down through the medical hierarchy, catalysed by the merger of the old medical schools? Is this happening elsewhere or is it unique to London colleges?

Benjamin patterson, second year medical student, Imperial college School of Medicine, London
Email: benjamin.patterson@ic.ac.uk


studentBMJ 2001;09:357-398 October ISSN 0966-6494