Butterfly_

Yep, I have definitely lost sleep over FM.

Sorry for your regrets. But I'm also non-trad and had the exact same stats as you! Don't give up! You're close!!

Regarding LOR's for FM, I have trouble deciding which ones to use. I need 3. I'm planning to submit one from my family core and one from FM palliative care elective - both I know will be strong. Regarding the third one, I am debating one from a strong IM core or one from a recent FM elective. The FM elective I had was all virtual telephone clinics due to Covid-19 and I feel that my preceptor won't be able to give a proper assessment of my clinical skills even though he offered to write me a strong letter. Would it be better to use the FM elective letter or should I submit the IM

And Dalhousie FM!

I think Toronto notes is pretty helpful, onlinemeded, uptodate, reading around cases you see. but you gotta do both: learn medicine and study for test taking. If you don’t study for the purpose of test tasking then you may fail some rotations even if you have good clinical evals.

Also good to use it to study for the Mccqe1, is what I’ve heard!

Instead of spending money on a masters program why not get more work experience instead?

Yea, studying for the MCAT sucked. I have no science background so I saved a bunch of money, quit my job, then studied full time for 7 months. Used 2 set of prep books, khan academy, online YouTube videos. It was worth the effort though

I totally agree that luck is such a huge factor. Praying every day to the heavens, gods, higher powers for a good CaRMs match!!!!!!

Because of Covid, lots of specialists have opted to wear scrubs instead of business clothes. For non-surgical rotations, I wear my own scrubs that I bought online.

Yea, I sure did take extra time. I didn't decide to apply to medicine until after my Commerce degree and 6 years of full-time work experience where I dabbled in various careers in finance and travel. I started med school at 28 years old and will be graduating this year Much of my youth was spent traveling and exploring the world. I have no regrets with the path that I've taken and will do it all over again in a heartbeat. No matter what you do, make sure you still maintain strong grades to keep doors open for future academic/professional degrees.

There were times in my life when I felt exactly the way you did. Forget the future, what do you like to do now? What are your feelings telling you? Perhaps you need to explore the things that are making you unsure about a career in medicine. Medicine will always be there and you can always apply at a later time. Whatever you do, your time will never be wasted. There’s always a lesson to be gained from anything that you choose to do. Perhaps along the way you’ll open other doors too. Good luck!

Most of my preceptors have also not submitted their references and many of my classmates are also in the same boat. I think sending a reminder email in a week is fair, it’s also good to touch base since it’s the new year. In general, if your preceptor agreed to write you a letter they’ll surely submit it on time unless you’ve asked someone who is very unreliable (aka never checks email, always late submitting evals, doesn’t respond to phone etc...) I was also stressing/anxious about this recently. However, preceptors know how much is on the line with CaRMs and I’m sure the vast

Thank you so much for your advice. Much appreciated!

Is applying to 6 schools reasonable for Family Medicine? My top picks are UBC, Mac, UofT, Queens, Western, and Alberta. I’m only interested in non-rural programs and hence would be applying to about 16-18 programs in total. Many of my classmates are applying to way more and tell me I should apply to more schools. Am I being risky/missing out on chances by applying only to 6 schools? Thank you in advance for your advice and responses!