amichel Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 Does it actually take 16 months to get an MRI in Vancouver? Holy crap lol Depends on what you have. If urgent or potentially progressive, no. If 'lower back pain' yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted May 21, 2015 Report Share Posted May 21, 2015 Does it actually take 16 months to get an MRI in Vancouver? Holy crap lol Like everything in medicine, it depends on the clinical indication. I've never had trouble getting a same-day MRI for a patient with a good story and concerning exam findings (eg ?cauda). On the other hand, if you're coming in with 3 weeks of what is clearly mechanical back pain you'll get some sympathy, some education and some tylenol, but not much else. LostLamb and amichel 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBALLMED Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Disclaimer: I'm from Vancouver and go to med school in the US. I would go with Mayo because it's free. People never look at the big picture...when you graduate you want to have the LEAST DEBT as possible. Everything else comes second. This is the most important factor of life. If you got accepted to Mayo, UBC, and won Lotto Max, which would you take? But I'll elaborate on your cons. The USMLE is not that big of a deal. The US med school curriculum prepares you for it and I know a student at Mayo and he told me that their professors write the damn questions for the test so they specifically know what you teach you there. Everyone at Mayo does extremely well on their USMLEs especially Step 1. I scored in the high 250s on Step 1 myself and I can tell you while yes it was an intense study period it was only a 7-week intense study period. If you just want to do family medicine you can review for 2 weeks and get a 225 and be fine. Visa issues: as someone who is entering the match next year, I can tell you that visa issues don't exist for Canadians at US medical schools. Multiple Canadians at my school have gone on to match into competitive specialties in the US with J1s and H1Bs and they told me there was no stress involved at all. This whole "paperwork" thing is a myth. Also, your F1 student visa covers you for an entire year after you graduate, so you don't have to worry about visa coverage during your intern year. That means you have an entire year after you graduate to get your new visa in order, which again, isn't a big deal. Weather: I'm from Vancouver and this is the first time I've ever heard anyone say the weather is "not as good as Vancouver." If you mean mild winters, sure, but when you're walking on UBC campus getting smashed in the face by rain and your 4th umbrella of the season breaks (I went to UBC undergrad, I went through like 14 umbrellas), remember that statement. The 5 days of the year it's sunny, yes, Vancouver is the most beautiful city in da world. No basketball court at Mayo is messed up though, that's a deal-breaker. I want to speak to some of the issues ellorie mentioned about culture, health issues, etc. First off, you'll not only have health insurance at Mayo (for free), you'll be covered by one of the best hospital systems on the planet. The way student health insurance works in the States is that as long as you go to providers within your own school's/hospital's network, it's 100% free. This includes emergency coverage. If you get HIV, the anti-virals will cost you $7/month. So these "crippling" medical bills are a lie. Medical coverage as a resident works the same way. Mayo Clinic would actually be the best place you'd want to be if you had a chronic health condition. Do you want free, no wait coverage from world-class specialists or would you rather be in Vancouver waiting 16 months to get an MRI? Culture wise, I have found living in the States is much different than living in Vancouver, obviously. I miss seeing gay people making out on the skytrain and people openly smoking weed on the street. But it's not like, making me depressed not seeing these things. I find my experience here as a great opportunity to see the world, living in another place with different attitudes and cultures. This is a foreign country after all. Honestly though Rochester is not Mobile, Alabama, I doubt living there will give you any form of culture shock. Man, I've been following your posts lately and you are one smart, badass man (srs). You speak the truth...I like it! Like you, I will be attending medical school in the states in the fall (Tennessee to be exact) instead of in Canada. As you mentioned, I have not had a single problem with visas at all. The only concern for US schools is the money, but in the OP's case that's null (Even then, I've found that bank loans + student loans should cover everything). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGGSaint Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Man, I've been following your posts lately and you are one smart, badass man (srs). You speak the truth...I like it! Like you, I will be attending medical school in the states in the fall (Tennessee to be exact) instead of in Canada. As you mentioned, I have not had a single problem with visas at all. The only concern for US schools is the money, but in the OP's case that's null (Even then, I've found that bank loans + student loans should cover everything). Congratulations. The med school you're going to is an absolute gem in one of the best cities in the US, in my opinion. Fantastic decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGrisham Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Congratulations. The med school you're going to is an absolute gem in one of the best cities in the US, in my opinion. Fantastic decision. Harrogate?! GGGSaint 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGGSaint Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Harrogate?! Foot in mouth? Blindly assumed we were talking MD and Vandy (<3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AS9Wave Posted February 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 Updated yall! Good luck to everyone Stethescope 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianeh95 Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 Thank you for the post and for helping me with my own decision regarding US MD vs Canadian MD! For future readers, I want to share some of AS9Wave's insights regarding which one may be a better option if you might be pursuing a competitive specialty down the road. I was under the impression that CaRMS is quite subjective, but AS9Wave showed me that there are many things within one's control (i.e. working very hard on electives/research/extracurriculars) and that performing well on electives is key. At the same time, I learned that there can be people who may be disappointed by CaRMS if their people skills aren't as strong, even if other parts of their application are stellar - likely due to the huge weight on elective performance for CaRMS. Canada is a great option for people who have a balance of academic and soft skills! AS9Wave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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