Statistics

As I get farther out from school, I start thinking of disciplines I wished I studied more. Some, like English literature or computer science, I think one day I might pick up again. But there's one discipline that I should have studied yet never will, and that is statistics. In the last few years, I've been learning from perusing medical journals (rather than textbooks and lectures which comprise most learning for medical students and early residents). The more I read, the more I realize that statistics matter so much. A study's design is its foundation, and without a solvent knowledge of statistics, I feel like I'm often evaluating the facade of a study rather than its real integrity. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, statistics classes just never engaged me. The one I took in college just passed me by. For me, it is like music theory; growing up, I enjoyed playing an instrument, but never cared for music theory. I guess there will always be a few things where we recognize the importance but just can't make ourselves endure. That being said, I think if we were to rethink the premedical curriculum, statistics is far more relevant than subjects like physics.

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