anbessa21

I’m sorry, but this post comes off as presumptuous and borderline pretentious. It reads sort of like: ‘Why on earth would anyone rank anything else above these listed specialties?’ It is quite common for people to apply to more than one specialty, and ranking decisions are highly individualized, so you will never get a catch-all answer to this question. Obviously they are not just ‘backing up,’ as they are ranking these ‘less desirable’ specialties first. However, one confounding factor I can imagine might be amongst those who get very few interviews in those disciplines, who in misinterpreting the match process, rank programs they think they have a ‘better chance’ at matching to higher on their list under the misguidance that this will improve their overall chance at matching. Pro tip: it doesn’t.

As a POC in the system, I could not agree more. I find that that race is all-to-often conflated with other factors, be it cultural diversity, or SES. I grew up in an upper middle class suburb, far removed from my roots and cultural heritage. Though I appear overtly as a POC, my experiences and culture do not reflect this. I have little extra to offer marginalized and minority patients aside from the actual colour of my skin. I speak nothing but english. I do not know their culture. I have not lived their struggle. Someone of a different ethnic denomination who has underwent similar experiences related to immigration, finances, discrimination etc would have much more to offer ‘my people’ than I would. As much as I’d like to think that schools have moved towards inclusivity and diversity, part of me feels as though they choose those of us who are easiest to assimilate into the existing medical subculture, to be used as political fodder for grandstanding and improved optics.

This question makes me so sad. Really speaks to the classism that exists in the medical field, and more broadly in higher-education. Include it proudly, OP.

I know I'm gonna sound dumb for asking this, but are you remembering to hit the 'save' button at the bottom right of the screen on your profile page after filling in your MINC? Lmao this is the only thing I can think of. If you are, I'd probably call and ask them about it, their IT team was pretty quick about addressing the tech issues I had.

Nope - no number! Just 'certificate granted' and an invoice. I'm assuming we won't get our numbers until closer to the start date of our term on July 1. Also, my MINC number is still present on my profile page, so I imagine it's a glitch. Does it disappear with every log-off/login?

I'll share my limited perspective as a recent Ottawa grad, though I think @PeterL broke things down quite well, and I don't have all that much to add. 1. The AFMC 8-week elective restriction came into play starting this past CaRMS cycle. 2. You are right in saying that the advantage of more pre-carms elective time is 'lost' with the current restrictions in place. This is particularly true if you are gunning for a singular competitive discipline with a high degree of certainty in your chosen path. It evens the playing field so to speak. 3. UBC does very well with matching to competitive specialties, both at home and OOP. They have abundant research and staff are well connected across the country. One thing you have to take into account; however, is that there may be more competition for home-school competitive seats at UBC than at Ottawa. This is supported by anecdotal evidence, as well as a proportionately greater number of Ottawa student's ranking FM as their first choice discipline, vs. proportionately greater number of UBC students ranking surgical or competitive non-surgical disciplines first. Given what we know about the home school advantage, this is not a negligible consideration, although is one that is subject to yearly fluctuation. Along the lines of what @bearded frog said, though your chances of matching GTA from Van are comparable to Ottawa, if you ended up matching at your home institution, you are much closer to family and supports in Ottawa than you are in Van (this only matters if you would like to return home for your residency, and matters more for 5-year RCPSC specialties than FM). All in all, I think the biggest factors that you should consider are those that relate to quality of life. Both schools have seats in every R1 entry specialty, and there are always opportunities for research if you look for them; I wouldn't use this as a primary decision-making point unless there is some very niche opportunity/specific PI you have your eyes on. Are you in need of a new adventure/environment? Do you like bigger city living? Do you despise the cold/snow? Or do you like more a low-key city, closer to family/supports with white winters and 4 distinct seasons? Being in an environment that sets you up for success is by far the most important for academic performance, clerkship/elective performance, and ultimately for matching. If you're happy and healthy, you will perform better, and enjoy your med school experience as well.

To everyone still waiting for final review and issuance of post-graduate training certification: I just received notice of the complete review of my application today, approximately 1 week after all of my submitted documents showed as 'accepted' under the schedule of requirements tab. If you are naive like me and thought the initial 400+ dollar application fee was all that would be required this go around, think again! Another 345 dollar membership fee is required prior to finalization and issuance of your certificate :))))))

^ Agree with the above. In a working environment, compassion and empathy are a two way street. You've been shown a stark lack of compassion and empathy by your higher-up, and should feel under no obligation to uphold that which is not being extended to you. I understand that jobs are more difficult to come by re: COVID, but as everyone has stated, this is your life, and within reason you need to do what's best for your future. You did your due diligence in notifying reasonably in advance, and trying to find coverage. You owe them nothing else. When I was a second-year undergrad, I was doing a summer NSERC position while studying for the MCAT. I had been working 8-6 and studying 6-12. Spent my weekends studying. The PhD candidates/post-docs usually worked Saturdays/half day Sundays. At one of my meetings, my PI reamed me for not coming in on weekends, stating that it was the culture of the group to work 6.5-7 days a week. I referred to the grant guidelines, which cited an average work-week of 35-40 hours (which I was more than meeting). I was meeting all of my productivity deadlines. He didn't care. Well, neither did I. I told him I would continue to not come in on the weekends. Finished my term and never spoke to him again. Got a reference letter from a visiting professor from the UK with whom I worked with quite a bit over that summer instead. When asked why I didn't get a reference from my actual PI at my interview, I told them this story. Didn't stop me from getting in. I doubt a managers ridiculously unfounded poor impression of you will manifest in ANY material way either. Of course, this is an N=1, but just my $0.02 on the matter. Whatever course of action you decide to take, I wish you the best of luck OP. You're a better human than I for feeling guilty about this situation .

Lol this is just the CPSO having dumb-ass formatting and confusing applicants. I got confused too and called about this. Bottom line is they're all required for finalization and conferral of your PG certificate, they just don't need special review by the committee. The proof of graduation and eLOA will be sent by your institution, and you should upload the rest of the documentation listed on the schedule. They will first show as 'received' when uploaded, and once accepted will show as 'accepted.'

Yeah you’re right. It will inevitably reach a steady state. The point I was trying to make was that in the past, fewer opted for the fifth year (with stigma playing a significant role), and so with a relatively lower number of re-applicants there has been a reasonable rate of second-time success at a first-choice discipline, balancing with the opportunity cost of the additional year. But with 'X' mostly remaining constant (depending on the specialty), if more and more students funnel into pathway Y as opposed to matching to secondary specialties the year prior (change in perception, perhaps programs becoming somewhat more receptive), those chances reduce until said steady-state is reached. At that point, it may no longer be worth the opportunity cost to some. All this to say that for students on the fence re: going all in during their first cycle who are attracted by the current rate of success for re-applicants matching to their first-choice disciplines should not expect to see the same rate of success when it’s their turn at bat if in fact this pathway continues towards said steady-state. Of course, for individuals such as yourself who absolutely, positively cannot envision themselves outside a single discipline, it’s a different story. As you said, it all boils down to risk vs. reward. I guess the point is moot if you believe that the only people re-applying are those who feel as strongly about a singular specialty as you (given that the reward is so great); however, anecdotally I can't say I believe that all those opting for re-application feel as strongly (i.e. I know a few who had a clear preference but did truly enjoy a parallel specialty). For these individuals, the window of permissible risk vs reward will close with a rise in popularity of the fifth year.

With a possible trend towards pursuing 5th years amongst those going unmatched in the first round in English Canada (particularly in select highly competitive disciplines), it’s only a matter of time before this pathway becomes supersaturated and non-viable.

https://www.carms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020_r1_tbl11e.pdf https://www.carms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020_r1_tbl12e.pdf Above is some data from the 2020 cycle. Specifically, the first is a table listing the number of first choice applicants to all R1 entry disciplines nationwide. The second is a table listing the quota (number of seats across Canada) for each R1 entry discipline. For a given discipline of your interest, take the quota as the numerator, and number of first choice applicants as the denominator, and you'll generate an estimate of the 'competitiveness' (or supply:demand) of a particular specialty. Traditionally, Plastics, OHNS are the most competitive. Cardiac surgery and vascular surgery tend to wax and wane quite dramatically by year as even small changes in interest significantly changes the landscape for their competitiveness (i.e. 5 more students interested in cardiac/vasc surgery can drastically change it's 'competitiveness' given only 8/9 seats across Canada). Neurosurgery is consistently competitive as well, with a self-selecting cohort. Urology had an anomalous year in 2020, but is usually quite competitive as well. General surgery is generally less competitive than those previously mentioned (caveat again being the fluctuating competitiveness of Cardiac/Vasc surg) but is still considered to be moderately competitive, with demand always > supply. Lastly, orthopaedic surgery has fallen off dramatically in competitiveness, likely due to job market considerations.

Semantics (and perhaps slightly off topic), but I prefer to think of it as 'parallel planning' in this scenario. Meaning that you must be certain you enjoy both specialties significantly more than FM. Particularly regarding surgical specialties, where the opportunity cost is high (re: time investment, lifestyle detractors, risk of unmatched etc). Otherwise, you are better off pursuing FM as the alternate career path. Some surgical specialties are more similar to one another than others, but some certainly are vastly different (in operative technique, patient population, pathophysiology) and thus, you should not extrapolate that simply because, for example, Cardiac Surgery is your supreme interest, that General Surgery/OBGYN would be a better substitute than FM if your interest in GSx is as surface level as 'it's still surgery.' Of course, this is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. As for if it's doable... it certainly is (although given how competitive surgical specialties are in general, it seems to be a tactic people shy away from nowadays, but I myself, along with several people I know successfully parallel planned 2 or even 3 surgical specialties this cycle). Just make sure you can construct a coherent narrative wherein both specialties meet your personal/professional goals, and are able to expound on why a particular specialty is ultimately the best fit for you. It's all in the storytelling. You've just gotta sell it.

I too received a couple of non-specific emails from the CPSO yesterday, none with login info (though I suspect this is because I already registered an account and submitted my application last Friday bc I was tired of waiting). Don't wait for them - it's absolute nonsense. It's quite easy to proceed on your own - just verify your email address (use the same one you provided to CaRMS) and then fill out the postgraduate certificate application. Based on the email they sent out to current year matched CMGs, you can just send them a message through their portal clarifying that you are a current year CMG matched through CaRMS after you submit the application. Otherwise, at this rate, we wont have CPSO licensure by the time July 1 rolls around.

Certainly being involved in projects is a great way build connections in the field, particularly as a pre-clerk. Be wary of stretching yourself too thin - both for the sake of ensuring quality and timely work, but more importantly for your own mental health and well being. You certainly do not need to perform research at every program to which you intend to apply. In smaller fields, everybody knows everybody, and by word of mouth, your PI's/staff's network in some ways become your own. However, focusing on your home school plus a select one or two other institutions (which may later comprise your top 3 ranks) is certainly feasible and high yield. All this considered, make sure you leave enough time to enjoy your med school experience; join clubs/intramurals that interest you (thanks COVID, but you’ve still got time), make lifelong friendships, and focus on building a strong knowledge base that will serve you well as a clerk. The connections and networks you'll build in the coming months/years are analogous to a wobbly jenga tower. They need to be stacked up on a solid foundation of elective performance and affability or else it’ll all come tumbling down.