Summary: I’ve mentioned this before—I examine for the ABR, boards, and CAQ
exams—a test of your knowledge and visual skills. This year, for the
first time EVER, I had a candidate tell me (without a trace of humor)
that they did not know the answer to a straightforward and easy
question, but that they could Google it to get the answer.
Dr. Phillips is a Professor of Radiology, Director of Head
and Neck Imaging, at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New
York–Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY. He is a member of the Applied Radiology Editorial Advisory Board.
“With
Google I’m starting to burn out on knowing the answer to everything.
People in the year 2020 are going to be nostalgic for the sensation of
feeling clueless.” —Doug Coupland
I’ve mentioned this before—I examine for the ABR, boards, and CAQ
exams—a test of your knowledge and visual skills. This year, for the
first time EVER, I had a candidate tell me (without a trace of humor)
that they did not know the answer to a straightforward and easy
question, but that they could Google it to get the answer. “Huh?” I was
dumbfounded. However, shortly thereafter, I got the same response to
another question.
I guess this is where we are headed, and we
should have known. Check the history on any browser in any reading room,
and Google is there. The residents live off it. It should be a window
in the PACS viewer (and likely is with some good PACS setups).
The
debate: Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? An opinion is all I have.
And, I would not contend that my opinion is worth anymore than
anyone’s. But, you get to hear mine since I’m writing this. I think it
dumbs us all down. The depth of knowledge traditionally gained by
reading books and articles, and reviews, and reading still more and
seeing a lot of cases is replaced by fast fingers and knowledge of
Google search terms that get the most hits. More and more, the depth of
knowledge is a “bite,” as it has been termed, or a brief fragment of
facts about an entity. Kind of like someone asking you about
Shakespeare, and you responding “Yeah. English guy. Wrote some great
plays, and sonnets and poems. Said ‘to be, or not to be.’” All correct
and factual, yes, but hardly an appreciation of the topic.
Online
resources are everywhere. Google is the current king. There are some
good points to this, obviously. If you know nothing at all, Google can
find you some quick info, and it can be a resource for finding those
additional materials. However, unless you probe and go deeper, you are
scratching the surface. Knowledge bites. Welcome to the brave new world.
I hope that my job means that I know more than what somebody
with a good browser and Google does. Although, yes, I use it from time
to time. Mahalo.