Western's learning style

[Guest Ticket]

I have some questions I forgot to ask when visiting Western in March.

 

- Does UWO's program provide ample opportunity to try many different types of medicine before having to decide on a discipline?

 

- What would you change about the curriculum? Would you increase the amount of group learning? Are you happy with the full-days of lectures?

 

Looking forward to any insight.

[Guest aneliz]

UWO's curriculum has plenty of opportunity to try different areas of medicine before making a career decision...however, I would definitely say that it is a case of the 'more you put in, the more you get out'. Opportunity is not going to smack you in the face if you aren't willing to pursue it.

 

During first and second year, you can schedule as many 'observerships' in as many different specialties as you want...this is very easy to do and many people take advantage of it. However, it is up to YOU to take the initiative to decide what you would like to observe, investigate who in that area is likely to agree to have you and set it up with them in your 'spare' time....if you don't take the initiative, you won't do any observerships.

 

You can also use the summers between first and second year and second and third year to do electives/observerships... again it is up to you to investigate the options and set these up. No action on your part = no observership.

 

In third year, you see all of the major areas of medicine (surgery, medicine, family medicine, peds, ob/gyn, psych). Within some of these blocks you have electives or selectives which allow you to spend a week or two exploring specialties related to the block you are in (so you can do NICU during peds, cardiology during medicine, urology during surgery, etc)

 

In fourth year, you have 4 months of elective time to do with as you please (more or less)...you have already finished all of your core rotations so you can use this time to nail down your career choices and get the reference letters that you need for CaRMS....and, you are done all of your electives before CaRMS matching takes place (a bonus over some other schools).

 

Now, on to question #2.

 

Not going to sugar coat this - UWO is a lecture intense school. We have LOTS of lecture time...and very little small group learning or individual learning. You spend most days in the lecture hall, sitting on your butt, listening to lectures. This is good in that it is structured...there are objectives and expectations and it is (usually) clear what it is that you are expected to know about each topic. However, the days get very long...and sometimes, no matter how good the prof or how interesting the lecture, by hour #6 of sitting, you are having trouble staying awake, paying attention to the prof, etc. And when you get home after 7 hours of lecture, the last thing you want to do is sit down and read your notes/attempt to study...so this leads to some pretty serious procrastinating for some of us (like me....).

 

If I had to change something I would change:

 

1. Reduce the number of lecture hours and make more 'self-directed learning'...it is possible for us to learn stuff that isn't presented in lecture...and it would break up the day a bit. I usually find that the stuff I have put the effort into learning myself (rather than being lectured at about) sticks with me longer.

 

2. NOTES!!! We print our notes off webct...admin calls this an 'online curriculum'. We call it a pain in the a$$. They used to sell pre-printed notes packages...so you didn't have to waste your time in line for a printer in the LRC...and it prevented profs from submitting notes on short notice (read after the lecture) or submitting multiple revised versions of their notes before the exam (annoying!!!)

 

3. Exams....clumping them together makes for high-stakes and high-stress....they are also not the 'smoothest' most of the time....we usually have some significant typo/ridiculous question issue on most exams...it gets fixed in the marking, but it is frustrating at the time.

 

4. PCL - good concept...but by the end of second year it gets old....need to find some way to liven it up at the end....

 

These are all fairly minor complaints in the grand scheme of things...overall UWO is a great school. It was my first choice and I wouldn't pick any differently now if I had to do it all over again.

 

Good luck!

[Guest lcloh]

aneliz:

 

just wanted to point out that first year med at western still has pre-printed note packs. it's just the second years that get the shaft.

 

L

[Guest cracked30]

I wouldn't put it down too much. I think self directed learning equals self directed procrastination. Goals and exams are important.

[Guest aneliz]

No objection to having goals and examinations cracked....my only objection is to the excessive 'spoon-feeding' of information during endless hours of lecture rather than having people investigate/learn about goals and objectives themselves...(at least occasionally)

 

Having something lectured at you does not necessarily equal learning...true learning is when you consolidate and integrate information for yourself...and invest some brain power into the process...rather than sleeping in a lecture hall for 7 hours a day... That said, lectures are not an entirely bad way to learn...but like all things, moderation is the key.

[Guest Ticket]

As always, aneliz, you've been very helpful.

 

Thank you.