Is intelligence really needed to be a doctor?

1. 60

   nightwork4posted 13 years ago

   Is intelligence really needed to be a doctor?
   
   what I mean is that to be a doctor , people need to be smart in school. wouldn't an average person be able to do the job just as well as long as they have a good memory?

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2. 71

   Rhonda_Mposted 13 years ago

   Certainly there is a body of learning a physician needs to master; generally those capable of retaining that knowledge could be successful in medical school (which also requires high grades to get in). So medical schools favour those with "book smarts" at any rate.Some people have these naturally and some have to work very hard To be a really good doctor, you would also need other capacities such as emotional intelligence, people skills and maybe even a certain creativity and intution to see things others don't. (optional, not necessary)/ A good physician is also a good healer.But these are things medical schools don't screen for.

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3. 62

   ChristineVianelloposted 13 years ago

   OMG yes! I work at a osteopathic college, and the students that come here to become doctors work amazingly hard. Eight years of schooling plus resisidency. Even more if you want to specialize. They have to work extreamly hard because the life of their patient is in their hands.

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4. 61

   Claudin_Dayoposted 13 years ago

   I think what makes a person suitable for a certain position is not because of his IQ or what there had been a lot of people who made it on top even if they weren't so brilliant!
   an average person can also be one because intelligence can be acquired through learning where as wisdom and experience are not.. . Just do what you love most and in everything that you do, give your best and choose to do the right thing- for that's what the world really needs people who opt doing right things

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5. 59

   Tataraposted 13 years ago

   I read about world-renowned surgeon Dr.Ben Carson.The article said he wasn't very smart as a kid, but when he learned to love reading, everything changed.I guess you have to be very diligent first to be a doctor...

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6. 59

   jtevans70posted 13 years ago

   Einstein also and he flunked algebra twice.

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7. 79

   Mr Niceposted 13 years ago

   I believe hard work and commitment is an important part of success, for anyone who wants to achieve goals in their life.
   
   ~ Behind every technological breakthrough, there lies a dream. Behind every new product, there lies a dream. Dreams create realities through hard work."  ~Rolf Jensen
   
   ~One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. ~ Arthur Ashe
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Success-Quotes- … nal-Quotes

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8. 61

   duffsmomposted 13 years ago

   Becoming a physician requires so much schooling, I doubt the average person could get though it without some kind of aids.  Chemistry alone would kill off most candidates.

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9. 82

   wychicposted 13 years ago

   Yes, they have to be very intelligent -- and for what most doctors have to do, a good memory simply isn't enough, because then you're spending way to much mental energy just trying to remember everything. Not only is that unnecessary, it's counter-productive and self-defeating. That said, having worked with quite a few surgeons in the past, it's safe to say that general social skills are optional .

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10. 72

    bloggeringposted 13 years ago

    The "average" person would never be able to follow through with all the schooling and internship requirements. You would need to be fairly intelligent to juggle all of that.

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11. 60

    ThatFatGuyposted 13 years ago

    Let me say i'm not the most gifted individual out there, but throughout my years in high school and even in college now, there is only one difference between those who are "smart" and those who are not. The "smart" people are the ones who are determined to do the best they can and are willing to put forth the effort needed to achieve their goals. The "dumb" people are not interested in school work and hardly put forth the work needed to do well. So simply intelligence is a matter of willingness and determination. The only thing that varies from person to person is their ability to retain information and to understand it more quickly than others. Other than that we're all capable of being anything, even doctors.

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12. 74

    stclairjackposted 13 years ago

    dont know bout every one else,.... but i want the doctor that got good grades,.... i would like the doctor that has a good sence of humor and a realistic aproach to people,.... but if it comes down to it,.... i want the smart one with the bed side manner of a skunk,... and i dont want the one who got a C average.
    
    i'm just sayin'

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13. 51

    amalyposted 13 years ago

    i do not think that i would visit doctor who is not intelligent. sounds scary. in first place, you have to be very intelligent, knowledgeable and hard working to go through medical school.

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14. 60

    windndownposted 13 years ago

    Compassion Is a must!!! I have had so many bad experiences with a few Dr trying to help me with my chronic pain and other issues.. compassion seems to lack from my experience.

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15. 70

    onegoodwomanposted 13 years ago

    I expect that my doctor have the intelligence to know what is worthy of remembering.
    
    You get what you pay for, just demand that the price is justified.

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16. 70

    nifty@50posted 13 years ago

    Yes, otherwise they would be a Dentist! LOL! Seriously, I wouldn't go to a dumb Doctor for half the price! Would you?

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17. 0

    marellenposted 13 years ago

    Yes, I think you need intelligence but also have passion  to  be a doctor since it takes years and long studying to become one, but  I think anyone can accomplish anything they set their minds too. With good work ethics and emotional support, it can be done.

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18. 62

    soniafernandezposted 13 years ago

    Good memory is certainly important as is a good understanding of the concepts in being a doctor. Unless a person can perform well and score, they would not be able to pass med school so yes intelligence atleast at an average level is important.

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19. 58

    myhoppest toolposted 13 years ago

    Of course you need intelligence to be a doctor.A really good dr need to make a decision as fast as possible to safe a the patient.They need to recall all the information in a short time to save the people.Intelligence is a very important ...

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20. 60

    DanuckInUSAposted 13 years ago

    It is more than memory in the medical world.  Problem solving is key. Intelligence is more than just being able to recall facts but the ability to know how to apply them.

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21. 0

    ellie.wposted 13 years ago

    Yes, MULTIPLE types of intelligence are needed to be a good doctor!  I definitely agree with everyone saying that emotional intelligence, experience, etc. contribute to being a good doctor, but I think it also takes solid academic performance as well.  Doctors need to retain information, have amazing problem solving skills, and continuously learn about new research and technology throughout their careers.  To be honest, I think this takes much more than just hard work--it takes a natural ability to empathize and a natural creativity.  You can't learn those things easily, no matter how many hours you put in. 
    
    Regardless, I wouldn't want an "average person" cutting me open, prescribing medications, or caring for my sick kids!

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22. 54

    theppcguyposted 13 years ago

    I think that you would need to be relatively inteligent. There is so muc schooling involved and the topics can be very complex. I don't think someone of average or lower intelligence would make the grade.

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23. 60

    CaravanHolidaysposted 13 years ago

    I would certainly hope so, unless you are going to introduce a new definition of intelligence that has nothing to do with the capacity for years of studying anatomy and etymology among other topics.

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24. 59

    GlueArticleProposted 13 years ago

    most things in life just require a photographic memory or a really good one. It's true!

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25. 69

    Kamalesh050posted 13 years ago

    Yes a doctor has to be very intelligent . Only Good memory is not enough.

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26. 60

    AmorphousTortusposted 13 years ago

    Well, they need intelligence to become a doctor... Once they are a doctor I think that is a different story. Like one of my college professors said:
    
    What do you call the guy at the bottom of medical school class?
    
    Doctor

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27. 70

    TinaTangoposted 13 years ago

    The ability to learn and succeed are the only things in life that is needed to become what you truly desire to be.

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28. 0

    SilverGenesposted 13 years ago

    I don't think it has to do with memory as much as it has to do with understanding the information and knowing how to process and  apply it in a sea of variables.
    
    Not everyone is suited to every profession. One could be a brilliant scholar and a terrible doctor - and vice versa.
    
    Personally, I don't want 'average' in my doctor. It's bad enough knowing that half of them out there practicing medicine graduated in the bottom half of the class

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29. 63

    JMHellerposted 13 years ago

    You would think so. I have met some Doctors that make me wonder...

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30. 60

    Shahid Bukhariposted 13 years ago

    You are right ... It does not need one, to be Smart ... in the usual sense of high school grades. Being a good doctor, is in one joining the ranks of those ... with the Mission, of serving humankind ... it is not a money making Profession.
    
    The Average Student, provided he or she has the Knack ... meaning, the willingness to learn, and the "Sixth Sense" is usually a better doctor than the Smart ones ... who, are generally, unable to timely diagnose due to the vast "data" at their disposal.
    
    The first thing, is to learn the Basics ... meaning, get the MD, and then proceed, humanely, with the Practice.
    And it is always a good thing, to Consult your reliable Doctor friends ... when in doubt, about your diagnosis or Prognosis. And to be good, is in one, always remaining a good learner ... learning, and experience, makes the Great Doctor ... Ego has no place in Medicine.
    
    But since a doctor is dealing with someone else's health and life ... learn to be 100% sure, before taking any random action.
    
    In Practicing Medicine or anything, there are Times, when things have to be done first, and thinking done later... the Average do it by instinct, rather than by starting to read the American Medical Association's Journal, while the patient is dying.
    
    Briefly, Average guys make Good Doctors ... while the smart ones go to Pharma Multinationals, and vie for Prizes.

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31. 70

    DonDWestposted 13 years ago

    I don't think you can memorize your way up to becoming a doctor, that's a bit of a stretch. Although I've heard horror stories of people memorizing their way through nursing schools and the instructors doing nothing about it because they passed the tests. This despite the fact the instructors had prior knowledge that the student didn't understand the material and merely memorized it.

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32. 47

    in the wordposted 13 years ago

    No.. they are no smarter than most anybody else..they just have a certian personalty that alows for them to be profiecient in there chosen profession...some are smarter than others.. that is why you so many diffrent types of doctors....it is really not about there I.Q. as much as it is about weather or not they have the right work ethic and mind set...just as there are many diffrent typs of jobs out there,  dose that mean that becouse you work in middle managment that you are smarter than the guy who mowes your grass??? the guy mowing your grass may just be working for himself making his own way and if he is not then it might be as simple as he likes to work out side... it just depends what you like and want out of life...

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33. 82

    Nadeeshan301posted 13 years ago

    The metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly is not an easy process. The process is million times difficult when it comes to converting an ordinary high-school leaver in to a doctor. To enter and survive in the profession you need to have a good memory but above all a very high level of intelligence.
    When it comes to practice, the patients you see are not unique. Though the text books describe standard ways to diagnose and treat patients, when it comes to the actual practice those have to be tailored in a way to suit the individual patient.
    That is the reason I guess the higher grades are required to enter the medical training rather than the economical and social benefits you receive in the profession.

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