Theory and Practice are Equally Important

I read in The Straits Times an article headlined "Young Doctors 'lack training in clinical skills'" in Malaysia. Apparently, a severe shortage of clinical places in government hospitals in Malaysia is churning out doctors with no clinical skills. Private medical colleges were mushrooming in the country. As a result, there were too many medical students but too few clinical places. By right, medical students are required to start the study of clinical skills from day one. Anyway, mass production should not be done at the expense of standards and quality. Doctors are dealing with life and death issues.

This brings up one very important subject, Theory and Practice.

Those who lack academic qualifications but work hard through rank and file and eventually become a manager for example, have the tendency to tell others that theory is not important, but experience counts.

On the other hand, those who are academically qualified always think that they are very knowledgeable (actually, it is all head knowledge) but they fail to realise that they lack experience which takes time to gain and accummulate.

In my years of factory management, I have worked with both types of people. I have seen how people in the first group played office politics to keep their positions and how people in the second group grappled with dejection as a result of rejection by those in the first group.

In a balanced perspective, it is important to have good theoretical knowledge of things, but one has to quickly build up his or her experience by learning from the School of OPE (Other People's Experience). Be willing and humble enough to learn from those who have the experience.

Please read the article of mine in the link.