Aphantasia in med school

[brinkleyw]

So I have aphantasia. For those of you who don’t know what that is, I am cognitively unable to imagine imagery. For example, if you tell me to think of what an apple looks like, or picture my moms face, I am unable to.

People with aphantasia typically have a high IQ, however, from my understanding, a lot of anatomy and physiology memorization is imagery based. Do I stand a chance in medical school? I feel like my inability to imagine pictures will put me at a disadvantage.

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[differentiating]

I'm very, very poor at anything visuospatial, and have little to no visual memory. I would write out the flow of blood in words to learn it, while other classmates would draw diagrams instead. Things like Sketchy were utterly useless to me.

There are definitely ways of learning that are nonvisual in nature, though, and I got through medical school without much issue. I generally remember anatomy based on function/general knowledge of location (i.e., TA is the front of the leg and does dorsiflexion), and if needed, I'll feel where the contraction is on my own body when I do that movement. It's not the same situation, but some of the same tricks might be helpful for you.

I don't think aphantasia alone will prevent you from entering/passing medical school.

 

[mrbreakfast]

The same can be said for premed coursework, so start there and see how it goes.

Otherwise, might make surgical fields challenging, but overall, once you've learned the basics, not a lot of medical practice actually involves being able to cognitively visualize pathways or structures.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Some attendings might be helpful here honestly. I imagine for internal med it's not a big deal. For a head and neck surgeon? Probably. But I'm not an internist or an ENT, so what do I know.

It would definitely make anatomy practicals challenging. But at some schools, those are part of your overall grade, and as long as you do well in other areas you're fine. At some schools, you pass the practical or you don't pass. So I'd try to find a school where you have systems blocks and anatomy is just part of the overall picture than a school where you take biochem, then anatomy, then phys, etc.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So I have aphantasia. For those of you who don’t know what that is, I am cognitively unable to imagine imagery. For example, if you tell me to think of what an apple looks like, or picture my moms face, I am unable to.

People with aphantasia typically have a high IQ, however, from my understanding, a lot of anatomy and physiology memorization is imagery based. Do I stand a chance in medical school? I feel like my inability to imagine pictures will put me at a disadvantage.

Is the documented as a diagnosis? Are you able to request accommodations? What do your doctors say?

 

[mrbreakfast]

Is the documented as a diagnosis? Are you able to request accommodations? What do your doctors say?

This isn't a medical diagnosis (unless acquired as part of another medical condition). It's more along the lines of the neurotypical spectrum. I don't think there is any evidence people with this condition perform less well academically in general than those without it.

 

[brinkleyw]

I'm very, very poor at anything visuospatial, and have little to no visual memory. I would write out the flow of blood in words to learn it, while other classmates would draw diagrams instead. Things like Sketchy were utterly useless to me.

There are definitely ways of learning that are nonvisual in nature, though, and I got through medical school without much issue. I generally remember anatomy based on function/general knowledge of location (i.e., TA is the front of the leg and does dorsiflexion), and if needed, I'll feel where the contraction is on my own body when I do that movement. It's not the same situation, but some of the same tricks might be helpful for you.

I don't think aphantasia alone will prevent you from entering/passing medical school.

This is reassuring. Thank you

 

[brinkleyw]

Is the documented as a diagnosis? Are you able to request accommodations? What do your doctors say?

It is documented. I’m not sure what accommodations I could request? My doctor hasn’t really said much about it other than the diagnosis and how my brain is different