robclem21

These two things are not mutually exclusive. The truth is many residents do love what they do and are very patient-centred and passionate about their work. That doesn't mean that being worked to the bone doesn't make you fatigued, or a little bitter, or question what you are doing sometime. GPA and MCAT scores have nothing to do with passion or burnout or being overworked. That's a very pre-med thing to think about and bring up because as soon as you start medical school all those things mean nothing. Nobody here was complaining about working 80-100 hours, but we were a little put off by

It may not be 80 hours every week, but there are certainly many weeks where hours worked top 80-90, even as medical student. Furthermore, those hours don't even include when you are coming up to an exam as a clerk and your "not-at-work-hours" are spent studying. As a resident, the number of weeks where you clock 80-90 hours is increased and when you work 1 in 2 weekends, it doesn't take very long for those 80-90 hour weeks to go back to back. If you want to do any 5 year speciality you better be CAPABLE of doing extended work weeks. As far as how to get to 80 hours per week.... easy... 2

Tough to give any advice. This is very vague.

This should be discussed with the individual programs and PDs. The answer likely varies.

Then you should be enjoying life and not worrying about CaRMS for another 3 years

This is why interview prep with trusted friends and people who give you honest feedback is imperative before going into an interview and trying to "wing it". See above for excellent examples. Sadly I don't think @bearded frog wants to go through another CaRMS match so you may have to do some independent thinking on this one. I heard residency programs favour that skill.

With an elective cap, this becomes a very reasonable approach. To add as well, no specialty (including family medicine and IM) likes being a "back-up", so you will need to use this logic regardless of what your second choice specialty is. Every specialty is becoming challenging to back-up with (esp. in popular locations) so don't close doors by letting anybody know its a backup choice.

Would you have more regret if: a) you did not match because you added 10 extra words to your essay, or b) you spent an hour editing your essay down. Nobody likes to read a long essay.

It might be cheaper still to finance through the bank. Most cars can be financed for <2% (most for <1%)

Usually just a CV, and maybe some examples of cases that you worked together and some of the things you demonstrated, learned in each.

Once you match, your program can provide you with a letter showing your income. You don't need to wait until July. The other option would be to find someone to cosign the financing for you.

I wouldn't worry about this. Don't be concerned with everyone else's application and focus on what makes your application strong. Especially for a program like family medicine, there is no need to stress about your CV lacking academic awards.

It doesn't always have to be something crazy unique or some elaborate story about why this is the PERFECT fit for you. It just has to be something honest and from the heart. The truth is most programs would likely be happy to choose 95% of the candidates that apply. You should reflect on what your real strengths are (whether they are as simple as being mature, or easy to work with, or aware of your limitations) and just be honest with the program about the characteristics that would make you a good fit for their program.

Keen is a great thing. TOO keen is not a good thing. It is important to be interested and engaged, and actively seek out opportunities to learn and take responsibility for your patients. On the other hand, I have seen med students who overstep their bounds or their training and have sometimes stepped on the toes of more senior medical students or residents or even staff, and this is TOO keen. This rubs many people the wrong way and is a bad thing. It is still important to be aware of your role and expectations before trying to do too much.

Remuneration in BC for anesthesia is much lower than in other provinces, particularly compared to neighbouring AB, which is why they lose a lot of their trainees there. Most specialties are cyclical in terms of the job market, and anesthesia is no different. It is impossible to predict what it will be like 5 or 10 years, but in general the market across Canada is fairly good at the moment.