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I am a FM resident and looking to do a primary care derm / cosmetic derm elective in the GTA/Toronto. Understandably, volumes in these practices are low presently but hoping to reach out for later this year. Would appreciate any suggestions! Thanks!

Does it happen, if at all? Is there any point in ranking uninterviewed programs at all?

Super practical question. I understand that there may be a lot of walking involved on interviews to tour the hospital etc. This may be site dependent but do tours generally involve walking a lot outside? And how much walking are we talking? lol Keeping the snow/rainy weather in mind, is it recommended to wear more practical vs dressier shoes vs flats? Or bring a change of shoes? (assuming they are both equally comfortable options) And ladies, what kind of bags do you take? Crossbody vs tote?

School interviewing at: Dalhousie Specialty: Family Medicine (FM) Current interview date: Jan 25 940-1010am in Ottawa Date would like to switch to: February 1, 2020 in Halifax- any time ok Any additional notes: Double-booked. Would really appreciate a trade! Please and thank you!

school interviewing at: Western specialty: Family current interview date: Jan 19, 730am-1pm date would like to switch to: Jan 18 any additional notes: double booked for interviews AND school interviewing at: McMaster specialty: Family current interview date: Jan 25 10:30am date would like to switch to: Jan 19 any time any additional notes: need to make flight, please help!!

As people are travelling away from home for electives, I thought it might be helpful to practice interviews with folks in the same cities + share resources - even if applying for different specialties. I will list mine here. Feel free to use this post to find others in your area. Please PM me if you are in the following cities and want to practice interviews: - Ottawa: Dec 2-Dec 6 - Toronto: Dec 9-Jan 5 - Hamilton: Jan 6-Jan 17 Thanks!

Is doing 4th year derm electives in a community clinic vs academic teaching hospital site a disadvantage give than program director and residents wont see you much? What are some ways to compensate for this- I have heard asking to attending academic half days is fair ask even if you are at a community site. Would appreciate thoughts.

I did. My stats: Accepted; It still hasn't hit me yet! NS (IP) Extracurriculars: 3 publications, public health background, multiple global health experiences, student governance and leadership, plenty of research assistant jobs, awards etc. Worked really hard on my essay and reviewed it plenty of times. MMI: Felt confident but this was my strongest score in my first two tries so I knew what worked for me. The questions were very fair. My 2 cents to applications/re-applicants: - Low GPA can be an uphill battle but working on the other sections can change the tide in your favor! - While it is very important be have strong ECs on all the application sections, how you describe those activities is KEY! This is what got me on my second try. On my third, I asked several people to read them, revised and clearly articulated the link to the application section and the career of medicine (within reason ofc). - Asked friends, colleagues and mentors to review application. Frankly, I did not do this in my first two tries and I regret it. It is very insightful to have a fresh pair of eyes to look at your responses and you'd be surprised how much your answers can be improved. Ofc this means planning ahead but if you are applying this year, start now and you are ahead of the game! - MMI: Consistent practicing made all the difference for me! I practiced for over 6 months with 20+ people on skype/in person of people applying to different schools. Things that worked for me -- I made notes, grouped key talking points for topic areas, listed keywords that would highlight skills of a physician (ex- empathy, critically evaluate, safe spaces etc), attended mock MMI sessions (free) in the university and consistently practiced. When I found that someone had an interviewing skill set I could learn from, I practiced with them several times; taught them what I did well in and learned back from them! This process worked really well for me and I made some great friends along the way! I normally follow news and am keen about public health/medicine in general hence keeping up-to-date about news was not an issue but I practiced my critical thinking by listening to White Coat Black Art and other stuff but, WCBA is gold! Having practiced with several people I learned that good MMI answers are not just about content but also delivery. If you had a low MMI score this year, think about how you organize your answers. Is you interviewer able to follow you? Do you set the stage for your answer by listing key points and then getting into details? Do you add some personal experience to give your interviewer something to remember you by? Do you make a summary statement to close? Do you leave 2 mins for follow-up qsns? -- I am not sure if this is 'right' but these are elements that worked for me. In short, I have been there and understand that (re)applying can be very intimidating/disheartening. There is some very valuable advice on this thread. If medicine is your passion, stay persistent and continue to build, learn and grow. Plan ahead. Reflect on what worked and what didn't. Talk to friends, mentors etc; people are always willing to help! Given my experience, I strongly feel that admissions committee evaluates applicants as a whole. Low GPA is NOT a deal breaker. Wishing you all the best and if I can help, feel free to PM me.

I'd echo everyone's feedback. You can do it! - MMI is a skill that *significantly* improves with practice. Since you are IP, start practicing for MMI now. You will develop confidence and can boost your score up by several points by Nov. - As stated previously, schedule an appointment with Dal to go over your application. Make a list of questions to ask beforehand on your scores, experiences and what change they'd recommend. They are very helpful. Make notes during the meeting and understand what your weak areas and make changes appropriately. This exercise will boost up your points as well. Good luck!