Rote learning

Rote: more or less means memorisation without full/any comprehension.
Is this a useful skill? YES YES YES.
Should I use it as a main learning stratergy in medical school? NO NO NO
Most educators / medical lecturers caution against any rote learning. I think they arebeing over cautious. It has its place in medical education though not a very prominent one. Medicine is a little bit strange because patients present with problems-ie almost your entire career is spent problem solving. BUT the knowledge required to solve these problems comes neatly packaged as systems. This being the case it is very difficult to create a "perfect curriculum". From time to time you will find yourself having to study things that you don't quite understand yet. So this is where rote can be useful. Remember- small areas of information you don't fully understand YET.

Next post- "critical thinking" in medicine