Intelligence in Pharmacy....Part I

In this blog, I am aiming to convince all the readers regarding the meaning of the word 'Intelligence' possessed by the Pharmacy students. I hope that I will be able to attract lots of comments from the readers.

So friends, How would you rate whether a student is dull,intelligent or very intelligent?? Probably, many might think that one who tops or is bright in studies is intelligent...But I advise a reconsideration of that decision. I have some different definition for that word.

What I think about Intelligence to be possessed by a student would consist of the following words:

1) Ability to recollect facts and studied information.
2) Power of analyzing information.
3) Grasping Power
4) Predicting an event based on studied information.
5) Ability to link different pieces of facts.
6) Power of Understanding.
7) Quickness of study

Ability to recollect facts and studied information

How long you may be able to remember a studied fact? How quickly you can recollect an information? Probably, these questions would clear away what I intend to say. I have heard many of my friends saying that the one who tops the college is the most intelligent in the college. But I am sorry to say that I completely disagree them in all respects. I believe that a student who is really intelligent in his/her subject must have a prior quality to recollect the things swiftly. Won't you get impressed when a student recollects a fact he/she had studied nearly 3 years ago and still remembers it? Perhaps, this might make you think that he/she is really proficient.

Let me not contradict few of my fellow participants that even cramming up things is an art. Though I hate cramming buisiness, but still cramming up things is not a simple task. Still what defines intelligence in this respect is ability to recollect the crammed up facts, which is in no way a minor job to be done.

Power of analyzing information

How well can you analyze things? Probably, a good analyzer may find out solution to a problem with great ease. Analyzing is something of predicting a solution based on few given pieces of hints or along the line of convention of study.

e.g.- Captopril and enalapril are most commonly used drug as an anti-hypertensive. They are Angiotensin converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. We all know that they prevent angiotensin II formation in lungs which inturn inhibit release of aldosterone thereby encouraging more and more excretion of sodium, chloride ions etc. in urine and result in diuresis thereby preventing hypertension. But we may analyze this effect in one more manner. Angiotensin II serves to constrict arteries and has a vasopressor action. Preventing the formation of Angiotensin II would also reduce usually high blood pressure existing due to it. This means that now, blood pressure would be lower than it used to be earlier, when angiotensin II used to exist.

Grasping Power

This is something you would know about yourself when you attend a lecture or a presentation or a seminar. The quickness with which one ingests the facts talked about defines the word 'grasping power'. A so-called highly ranked student may not grasp the facts well; but an average student often grasps the idea. This makes the difference between them in intelligence. The so-called average student has proved himself/herself more intelligent than the highly ranked student of the class! Obviously, I am not denying the fact that ability to grasp ideas do require a clear basic knowledge of the subject and a good grip on the ideas. Also, it sometimes happens that a really intelligent and deserving student hasn't grasped the fact, but the whole class has. Now, here there may be 2 possibilities arising- either his mental state at that instance is such that he couldn't grasp the fact well inspite of his well grip over the subject or he might be weak in that specific topic. This doesn't contradict my former stated words that the highly ranked student is not in a mood to answer or understand, but the weak student is! Perhaps, what appears is a mixed roles of both the scenario. The subject might even get more complicated to understand than it really appears to be.

In short, what is stressed upon is to develop the basic knowledge to raise the grasping power in studying advanced facts related to it.