Do You Have Question About Uofc Med? Ask Away

[nick]

A rather shallow question that isn't particularly pertinent, but doesn't deserve its own topic:

 

During the MMI at UofC where do your valuables go? I know that we are not allowed to have our cellphones with us, so I'm wondering if there is a safe place where you can leave it

 

The reception area is the atrium of a big building. There are a bunch of mobile coat racks wheeled in there and people leave backpacks, suitcases, etc. in that general area. It is not guaranteed secure but there are volunteers watching over the stuff.

[Borborygmi]

It's almost interview time! Only 3 days until the first group of you walk in those doors. I wanted to bump the thread one last time prior to interviews in case anyone has some lingering questions they would like answered. Best of luck in the coming week!

[MedNutz95]

More of a general question, but what is one thing you wish you knew before going to your interview?

[nick]

More of a general question, but what is one thing you wish you knew before going to your interview?

 

How fast things go after the pre-interview bathroom break. There's no time to stop and reflect on life, the universe, and everything, it's pretty much straight into the interview.

[BoopityBoop]

Are we given a sheet of paper per station? If not, how much paper/size of paper are we given overall?

[nick]

Are we given a sheet of paper per station? If not, how much paper/size of paper are we given overall?

In previous years, there was a stack of small pieces of paper and some pencils on a desk outside each station. There is no shortage of paper. I'm not even convinced you get any benefit from using the paper.

[Borborygmi]

More of a general question, but what is one thing you wish you knew before going to your interview?

 

Really, nothing about the interview process or day. I think the interview is something you just need to attack in the moment, like you would any other situation. There are too many unknown variables on interview day that you're unable to control. You just need to be in the moment and go with the flow. What I do wish I had known was that there was a young kids' hockey team staying in the same hotel I had booked. It made for loud hallways and a really busy breakfast on the day of the interview (when I was already feeling a bit nauseous). Would have preferred to have started my day quietly & calmly. Sorry, that's probably a lame answer. 

 

Following interviews, I wish I knew how much energy I would need in order to take on a ton of huge life changes between the "yes" and walking into the first day of classes. This isn't the same for everyone, of course.

 

Just a general suggestion would be to scope out the HSC building and find the atrium in the evening before you interview. Just knowing where you need to go and the amount of time it will take to get there will save some stress on the day of the interview. 

 

 

Are we given a sheet of paper per station? If not, how much paper/size of paper are we given overall?

 

Like nick mentioned, there are a bunch of small, scrap pieces of paper with pencils outside of each station (there will be ample). I don't recall exactly how large the scraps were, but let's say about 10cm x 10cm. If you feel you need more than one, use more than one. If you do choose to make little notes, be sure to leave your paper in the garbage can inside the interview room before you exit. Do not bring them out of the scenario with you as you move to the next station. Personally, I found making notes cumbersome for most of the scenarios given the small amount of time you have at each prompt. I only used paper at one station where I needed to remember a series of specific items, but do what works best for you.

[sjc2]

Is there a water station outside each room, or are we allowed to bring water bottles with us from station to station?

[nick]

Is there a water station outside each room, or are we allowed to bring water bottles with us from station to station?

Bring a refillable water bottle, you'll have a chance to fill it at a fountain before the interview. Leave it on the desk outside each station.

[sjc2]

Bring a refillable water bottle, you'll have a chance to fill it at a fountain before the interview. Leave it on the desk outside each station.

 

Perfect thank you!

[Borborygmi]

nick such a pro. 

 

PS: drink coffee and water conservatively before your interview. Show doesn't stop for pee emergencies. Or wear a diaper if you're super hardcore and don't mind being judged.

[ZBL]

I've heard that apparently McMaster allows a 4th year to do research and/or additional electives. Is there any indication that Calgary might do something similar in future? It seems like it would be a nice option, if available (e.g. if you're interested in a competitive specialty and want more experience).

If the extra year is important to you, then a 4 year school makes more sense - use the summers for research and no need to worry about logistics of delaying a year. Canada is different from the US as well. In the US a lot of students take an extra year of research to get into ophtho or something competitive, but that is not common in Canada. At UC/Mac, our time is very limited, so while research and extracurriculars are doable, it's likely not as simple as it would be at 4 year schools where you have full summers off. Moral of the story is that if there's a chance you're interested in a competitive specialty/program that places emphasis on research, or if you're not quite sure what area you'd want and need time to explore options, UC/Mac are tough. Obviously people do match to competitive specialties from UC/Mac, but it can be stressful and probably more difficult than it would be at a 4 year school where you have more time to build your application (doing the same amount of work for your CV in 3 years vs 4). 

[monkeyman]

First of all, thanks to Nick and Borborymi (and others!) for taking the time to answer questions regarding the U of C MD program. 

 

I have a few questions regarding U of C (regarding file scoring and MCAT prep). I am a prospective student and about as non-traditional as they come!  I am just posting on the U of C forum as this will likely be the only school I will be applying to.  I am planning on applying to U of C MD program in the 2017-18 academic cycle.  A bit of background about myself: I did my undergrad in molecular bio (from the U of C) and got a pretty poor GPA: around 3.2-ish. Then I did an after degree RN degree from the U of A and did deplorably bad!  I had no idea the nursing program would be that fluffy and airy-fairy and my GPA was horrible: around a 2.5-2.7.  It didn't seem to matter how much I studied, I always got the same poor grades.  It was an extremely academically frustrating time for me.  

 

I have been working as a transplant coordinator, ICU RN and clinical instructor for the past seven years.  I absolutely love what I do.  My jobs are a lot of fun and I definitely feel like I am overpaid for the work I do, and therein lies the problem...I no longer feel challenged and I find that my jobs just are not intellectually fulfilling for me any more. I guess I am a science nerd at heart!  I have recently gone back to school (to the U of A) to augment my GPA to apply for grad school. I am taking 10 higher level (mostly 3rd year and up) science courses right now and expect to have around a 3.8 GPA this year.  I will be doing another year and then applying for a masters in either science or to the nurse practitioner program.  I have also thought about doing both programs as the NP curriculum can be done via correspondence on a part time basis from the University of Athabasca.  Thank god for the 10 year exclusion rule, as this is the only reason I can apply to the U of C!

 

My questions:

 

1) Regarding subjective assessment of academics:  I am curious how my poor academic performance in the remote past will be interpreted.  In addition,  I do realise that I probably would have been able to get a better GPA had I taken less challenging courses this time around.  Does the subjective academic assessment criteria of file scoring look at trends over time, or is it just based on how hard the courses are, and MCAT scores, etc?  I have listened to Dr. Walker's podcast but I am still a bit unclear about this part of the file scoring!

 

2) Are there any former RNs in U of C med? Does the U of C care about previous healthcare experience?  My career has really shaped who I am as a person.    I have tens of thousands of hours of experience working with some pretty complicated sick patients, dealing with families, etc.  I think at least 4 of the 6 subjective assessment areas listed on the applicant manual are associated with my clinical experience.  I think I will have to put them in my top 10.  

 

3) MCAT prep:   I wrote the MCAT almost 15 years go and got a 34S (VR=9, PS=12, BS=13).  I was working full time and also taking a summer course, so only had 7-8 weeks to prep for it. I did not take a prep course or anything.  My weakness in the past was the VR and on the new MCAT I know I will struggle on the CARS more than any other section.  I really focussed on the VR section in my past MCAT and despite doing around a thousand practice questions only scored a 9. Given the importance of the CARS section on file weighting to the U of C, do most people recommend taking an MCAT prep course?  I think I should do okay on the science and social science sections, but the CARS will be difficult.    

 

Again, thanks in advance for any and all input.  

[hurthouse]

Hope I can help a bit:

 

1) Regarding subjective assessment of academics:  I am curious how my poor academic performance in the remote past will be interpreted.  In addition,  I do realise that I probably would have been able to get a better GPA had I taken less challenging courses this time around.  Does the subjective academic assessment criteria of file scoring look at trends over time, or is it just based on how hard the courses are, and MCAT scores, etc?  I have listened to Dr. Walker's podcast but I am still a bit unclear about this part of the file scoring!

 

2) Are there any former RNs in U of C med? Does the U of C care about previous healthcare experience?  My career has really shaped who I am as a person.    I have tens of thousands of hours of experience working with some pretty complicated sick patients, dealing with families, etc.  I think at least 4 of the 6 subjective assessment areas listed on the applicant manual are associated with my clinical experience.  I think I will have to put them in my top 10.  

 

3) MCAT prep:   I wrote the MCAT almost 15 years go and got a 34S (VR=9, PS=12, BS=13).  I was working full time and also taking a summer course, so only had 7-8 weeks to prep for it. I did not take a prep course or anything.  My weakness in the past was the VR and on the new MCAT I know I will struggle on the CARS more than any other section.  I really focussed on the VR section in my past MCAT and despite doing around a thousand practice questions only scored a 9. Given the importance of the CARS section on file weighting to the U of C, do most people recommend taking an MCAT prep course?  I think I should do okay on the science and social science sections, but the CARS will be difficult.    

 

 

 

1) All of the things you've listed seem like they play a role. From the applicant manual:

 

"Each assessor assigns a score corresponding to his or her global assessment of the academic strength of the entire academic record. This includes, but is not limited to, such things as the types of courses taken, trends in grades over time, extenuating circumstances, consistency and global review of all sections of the MCAT. The overarching question that the reviewer is asked to answer is, “To what extent does this applicant demonstrate evidence of the academic skill necessary to master the material within the MD curriculum?” "

 

I don't really know how exactly an individual evaluator arrives at a score though.

 

2) There are several nurses in the class of 2018, and also students who came from nursing school. It sounds like you have a great deal of relevant experience, but remember that your experiences will not speak for themselves and you need to highlight exactly why and how you think they're relevant in your application.

 

3) You really need to dissect exactly why you did poorly on the VR. Doing "thousands of practice questions" and seeing no improvement means there is something wrong with your approach. It might be helpful to sit down with a friend who can go over some CARS passages with you. I would never recommend prep courses because they are complete ripoffs and don't actually teach you many useful techniques when it comes to VR/CARS.

[daftjustice]

 

3) You really need to dissect exactly why you did poorly on the VR. Doing "thousands of practice questions" and seeing no improvement means there is something wrong with your approach. It might be helpful to sit down with a friend who can go over some CARS passages with you. I would never recommend prep courses because they are complete ripoffs and don't actually teach you many useful techniques when it comes to VR/CARS.

This is solid advice.

 

[MSWschnoodle]

 

3) You really need to dissect exactly why you did poorly on the VR. Doing "thousands of practice questions" and seeing no improvement means there is something wrong with your approach. It might be helpful to sit down with a friend who can go over some CARS passages with you. I would never recommend prep courses because they are complete ripoffs and don't actually teach you many useful techniques when it comes to VR/CARS.

 

 

This is indeed solid advice. I did well for a CARS score, so here is what I think helped:

 

I didn't buy a course (they are rip-offs). I bought TPR prep books and supplemented with Khan academy stuff for my studying. I used practice tests from TPR and AAMC. I know I found a few other practice question resources but I honestly can't remember which ones they were (borrowed off friends, VR stuff from old MCAT etc.) but I didn't use them too extensively. In my opinion, TPR passages are much longer, much more boring and the answers are trickier compared to AAMC. I would write the test, get my score and before looking at what the answers are I would go through the questions I got wrong and do the following:

 

1. Re-read the question and see if I just missed something in how it was written.

2. Come up with a reason why I thought the answer I chose was right.

3. Choose a second answer and come up with a reason why I thought that answer could also be right.

4. Look at the correct answer and then try to come up with a reasoning why that answer was "more correct" than the one I picked.

5. If available, look at the reasoning the practice test gives for that being the correct answer. Some practice resources have this feature, others don't.

 

For me it really wasn't about the quantity of practice questions I did, but the quality with which I went through them. Hope this is helpful.

[monkeyman]

Thanks for the prompt and extremely helpful responses!

 

Good to know that there are at least some former RNs at the U of C!  Hurthouse, I definitely hear you about relating my experience to the effect it had on me as it relates to the subjective assessment areas.  I am assuming the best place to do this is during the top 10 or perhaps the work experience section?

 

Regarding the CARS on the MCAT I really appreciate the suggestions and hints.  I was actually scoring 5 or 6 when I took the initial diagnostic by myself, so I guess I should be thankful for even scoring a 9!   I think the core issue I have has to do with reading comprehension.  This has always been a problem for me.   Resources like Khan academy were not around when I took the MCAT the last time, so its nice to have more time and resources to devote to prepping.  MCAT courses seem quite expensive from the research I have done so I am glad that there is some consensus that they are a rip off. MSW, thanks for your suggestions about using PR and AAMC materials in conjunction with Khan academy stuff.  

 

Another question: I will be in my mid 30s by the time I apply.  I have been working since I was 15, so I have A LOT of varied work experience!!  Everything from bottle depot work to amusement park ride operation to gym membership and supplement sales, to personal training to medical research, etc. etc.... I am just wondering if I need to put all this experience in my application given that some of it is quite remote, and perhaps not directly related to medicine?

 

Again, I really appreciate the responses and help! 

[bearpuppy]

This is indeed solid advice. I did well for a CARS score, so here is what I think helped:

 

I didn't buy a course (they are rip-offs). I bought TPR prep books and supplemented with Khan academy stuff for my studying. I used practice tests from TPR and AAMC. I know I found a few other practice question resources but I honestly can't remember which ones they were (borrowed off friends, VR stuff from old MCAT etc.) but I didn't use them too extensively. In my opinion, TPR passages are much longer, much more boring and the answers are trickier compared to AAMC. I would write the test, get my score and before looking at what the answers are I would go through the questions I got wrong and do the following:

 

1. Re-read the question and see if I just missed something in how it was written.

2. Come up with a reason why I thought the answer I chose was right.

3. Choose a second answer and come up with a reason why I thought that answer could also be right.

4. Look at the correct answer and then try to come up with a reasoning why that answer was "more correct" than the one I picked.

5. If available, look at the reasoning the practice test gives for that being the correct answer. Some practice resources have this feature, others don't.

 

For me it really wasn't about the quantity of practice questions I did, but the quality with which I went through them. Hope this is helpful.

 

 

Scored 130 on CARS here, and I felt this time the EK strategy worked well for me. I previously took a Princeton Review course when I wrote the old MCAT, and I liked EK's strategy better. I am ESL and this has always been a tough section for me also. Just thought I'd mention the EK stuff. 

[nick]

Another question: I will be in my mid 30s by the time I apply.  I have been working since I was 15, so I have A LOT of varied work experience!!  Everything from bottle depot work to amusement park ride operation to gym membership and supplement sales, to personal training to medical research, etc. etc.... I am just wondering if I need to put all this experience in my application given that some of it is quite remote, and perhaps not directly related to medicine?

 

Yes, put it in your application. I can think of a few reasons:

- You are required to disclose your entire employment history.

- You never know what the file reviewer will see in your employment history that will help you. If you think something like bottle depot work is trivial, maybe the file reviewer will think "this is a person who isn't afraid to roll up his/her sleeves and do some honest work." If you think gym membership is trivial, maybe the file reviewer will think "this candidate must know how to deal with people diplomatically." I doubt that anything you put on there could reflect negatively on you unless it was illegal or really questionable, and anything could help!

- It gets rid of gaps in your timeline, proving you weren't slacking off and playing Mortal Kombat for months at a time

[nick]

Regarding the CARS on the MCAT I really appreciate the suggestions and hints.  I was actually scoring 5 or 6 when I took the initial diagnostic by myself, so I guess I should be thankful for even scoring a 9!   I think the core issue I have has to do with reading comprehension.  This has always been a problem for me.   Resources like Khan academy were not around when I took the MCAT the last time, so its nice to have more time and resources to devote to prepping.  MCAT courses seem quite expensive from the research I have done so I am glad that there is some consensus that they are a rip off. MSW, thanks for your suggestions about using PR and AAMC materials in conjunction with Khan academy stuff. 

 

I scored an 11 on my VR in 2011, and a 131 in 2015. I used EK + official materials (AAMC + KA [in 2015]) to prep for them both times. In between the two tests I also took tons of humanities courses, to which I attribute my improvement. Correlation or causation? Who knows. I know most people aren't in a position to take tons of hum courses. Even so, picking up an annotated reader in important primary texts in philosophy, history, etc. (if such a thing exists) might exercise your "what is this badly-writing author actually telling me?" muscles. Just thought it might be helpful

[monkeyman]

Yes, put it in your application. I can think of a few reasons:

- You are required to disclose your entire employment history.

- You never know what the file reviewer will see in your employment history that will help you. If you think something like bottle depot work is trivial, maybe the file reviewer will think "this is a person who isn't afraid to roll up his/her sleeves and do some honest work." If you think gym membership is trivial, maybe the file reviewer will think "this candidate must know how to deal with people diplomatically." I doubt that anything you put on there could reflect negatively on you unless it was illegal or really questionable, and anything could help!

- It gets rid of gaps in your timeline, proving you weren't slacking off and playing Mortal Kombat for months at a time

 

Nick, thanks for the your feedback and thoughts. It may be a bit challenging to find verifiers for some of the more remote things in my job history especially since many of the businesses I was employed by do not even exist any more! I am unsure how to approach this issue... I will definitely check out EK. The annotated reader is a great idea for me too as I did not take any humanities courses this year.... I took the higher level science courses as its stuff I am really interested in and as a result enjoy studying.  I doubt that I would be able to do well in humanities courses.   Oh and by the way Street Fighter  > mortal combat!     

 

One of the issues I was also thinking about is how to talk about my clinical experience in areas like transplant medicine and critical care... As a tx coordinator, your job is essentially being a cross between a R1-R2 medical resident and a medical secretary. I see patients in clinic and also review patient files and look at blood work, imaging reports, procedure reports, clinic letters, discharge summaries, etc... put a summarised clinical picture together for our attending doc and get them to make decisions.  In most cases however, if I know what to do I simply execute this and document my rationale and actions taken.  I frequently am consulted by tx patients family MDs or ER MDs regarding their Hx, management suggestions, etc.  I obviously refer them to our attending MD if I am unsure about what to suggest. Usually though, I am more than happy to suggest treatment guidelines, and give information about drug interactions, immunosuppression therapy changes, etc. as long as I feel confident in my knowledge base.    

 

 Similarly in areas like ICU where you have a hemodynamically unstable patient in multi-organ failure, if an MD is not around, the non-MD components (mostly RNs and RRTs) of our team have a reasonable idea of what to do to keep a patient alive until the MD can come by.  This includes things like starting vaso-active infusions, initiating respiratory therapeutic modalities like a BiPAP mask as a bridge to intubation, etc.  Our RRTs will intubate if required to.  One time during a code on a medicine ward at 3 am in the morning I gave 3 amps of epinephrine (he had asystole or a very fine v. fib) down a guys endotracheal tube (no BP and no vascular access) as the MD residents were being quite indecisive about what to do... it actually brought him back.    I love working in these areas as you have significantly more autonomy than an RN in the most traditional sense.  Over the years, the attending docs also come to trust your judgements and in the end it just makes their jobs easier and hopefully results in better patient care.  

 

I am a bit apprehensive about discussing my roles in these clinical areas, as I am not sure if it would be construed as over-stepping boundaries of what an RN is supposed to do, etc... I am really unsure how the U of C admissions committee would see this... Would it be prudent to minimize the emphasis on the autonomy when discussing these areas on the application?

 

 

Bearpuppy and Nick you guys both know how to make a man feel inadequate with those crazy MCAT scores!!  Thanks again for the input and suggestions. I really appreciate it!

[nick]

Nick, thanks for the your feedback and thoughts. It may be a bit challenging to find verifiers for some of the more remote things in my job history especially since many of the businesses I was employed by do not even exist any more! I am unsure how to approach this issue... I will definitely check out EK. The annotated reader is a great idea for me too as I did not take any humanities courses this year.... I took the higher level science courses as its stuff I am really interested in and as a result enjoy studying.  I doubt that I would be able to do well in humanities courses.   Oh and by the way Street Fighter  > mortal combat!     

 

One of the issues I was also thinking about is how to talk about my clinical experience in areas like transplant medicine and critical care... As a tx coordinator, your job is essentially being a cross between a R1-R2 medical resident and a medical secretary. I see patients in clinic and also review patient files and look at blood work, imaging reports, procedure reports, clinic letters, discharge summaries, etc... put a summarised clinical picture together for our attending doc and get them to make decisions.  In most cases however, if I know what to do I simply execute this and document my rationale and actions taken.  I frequently am consulted by tx patients family MDs or ER MDs regarding their Hx, management suggestions, etc.  I obviously refer them to our attending MD if I am unsure about what to suggest. Usually though, I am more than happy to suggest treatment guidelines, and give information about drug interactions, immunosuppression therapy changes, etc. as long as I feel confident in my knowledge base.    

 

 Similarly in areas like ICU where you have a hemodynamically unstable patient in multi-organ failure, if an MD is not around, the non-MD components (mostly RNs and RRTs) of our team have a reasonable idea of what to do to keep a patient alive until the MD can come by.  This includes things like starting vaso-active infusions, initiating respiratory therapeutic modalities like a BiPAP mask as a bridge to intubation, etc.  Our RRTs will intubate if required to.  One time during a code on a medicine ward at 3 am in the morning I gave 3 amps of epinephrine (he had asystole or a very fine v. fib) down a guys endotracheal tube (no BP and no vascular access) as the MD residents were being quite indecisive about what to do... it actually brought him back.    I love working in these areas as you have significantly more autonomy than an RN in the most traditional sense.  Over the years, the attending docs also come to trust your judgements and in the end it just makes their jobs easier and hopefully results in better patient care.  

 

I am a bit apprehensive about discussing my roles in these clinical areas, as I am not sure if it would be construed as over-stepping boundaries of what an RN is supposed to do, etc... I am really unsure how the U of C admissions committee would see this... Would it be prudent to minimize the emphasis on the autonomy when discussing these areas on the application?

 

 

Bearpuppy and Nick you guys both know how to make a man feel inadequate with those crazy MCAT scores!!  Thanks again for the input and suggestions. I really appreciate it!

 

You're welcome! Don't knock yourself out finding verifiers, I think listing yourself as a verifier is allowable for old jobs and they'll contact you if they want some sort of proof (old pay stubs, etc.).

 

I can't give any advice on the RN stuff. As far as the MCAT goes, let me say the grass is always greener. I'd love to have your work experience

[jackz]

monkeyman,

 

Some wild stories there! If epi is indicated in your ACLS training, I think making a decision indicated by the protocol while the rest of team is indecisive shouldn't be considered over-stepping. Just my personal opinion, though. I'm an EMT and haven't worked in a hospital setting.

 

If the experiences you mentioned really shaped who you are as a person, I'd definitely talk about them. What I noticed in my own application is that I had to constantly fight the urge to elaborate on how awesome the story is and focus on what the impact of the story is on myself and perhaps others. In the 2015-2016 application cycle, the application allowed very limited space to talk about what the experience is (250 characters, if I remember correctly) and more space to talk about the impact (1000 characters, I think). So I'd consider how strong the impact of these awesome stories is and decide if they should make Top 10. 

[daftjustice]

 What I noticed in my own application is that I had to constantly fight the urge to elaborate on how awesome the story is and focus on what the impact of the story is on myself and perhaps others.

^ This right here. Made the difference between my first and second application. The Top 10 requires a laser-like precision regarding what it conveys.

[carebear]

This might have been asked/answered already, but when do we need to have our CPR/First Aid done by? Should it be completed prior to orientation or before clerkship starts?