MEDH 400.....suggestions/opinions?

[Guest EMHC]

Hi, I'm thinking of taking MEDH (History of Medicine and Science) 400 in the coming fall, have any of you taken this course? I remember reading someone recommending this course, but I forgot which thread it is on. I would appreciate if anyone can tell me the course details (essays?) and/or suggestions or opinions about this course.

 

Thanks in advance...

 

EMHC

 

PS: Any suggestions for good pre-med courses would be cool

[Guest mitchie41]

Are you looking for easy upper-level courses or lower levels?

[Guest EMHC]

Upper or lower

[Guest mitchie41]

I was reading a few past posts, and CLST 301(introduction to medical terminology) came up a lot as an easy upper-level elective.

[Guest soapyslicer]

Hi,

 

I have taken both. I enjoyed the medh 400 more but I think that was because it allowed you to really get into the history of med. John Norris was my instructor and given his age he was present in many interesting turning points in medicine. He really destroys the romantic version of things like the H oath and other fallacies that exist as part of the medical culture. As well he got into the nitty gritty on many ethical issues. I am not sure if he is still teaching. Marks were based on participation in seminars(a little pre-reading to do), and an essay on some aspect of medicine. You did have the choice to do a final exam which was based on his lectures but no one did. He gives you so much warning about what he wants in the essay that most of us had it done by midterm time. This allowed for several drafts as many exchanged their essays with others in the class for critque.

 

I took the 301 and while it was easy it was time consuming. I would highly recommend both courses as GPA boosters but the Medh will come in handier when you are prepping for interviews.

 

There is one other ethics course I would highly recommend. It is run by the nursing department and it is an eye opener. I think you have to get special permission to take it but I didn't have a problem getting in. It was the best prep for interviews and ethical considerations I have ever had. As a matter of fact I still say it was one of the best courses I have ever had at UBC. Thats saying something as I have over 200 cr. The marking was based on seminar presentations you do with your group and a final exam. There was no expense spared when I took it and we had professionals from all over the country talking to us about different cases that actually occurred within the hospitals.

 

soapy

[Guest physiology]

Hi SoapySlicer,

 

I think your name is NEATO!

 

Anyway, which nursing course you were specifically talking about? I found two or three that matched your description.

 

NURS 452(3) Ethical Basis of Health Care

Theories related to the ethical basis of professions. Ethical problems in healthcare and in nursing. Ethical decision-making. [3-0]

 

NURS 409B (IHHS 401)(3) Health Care Ethics

Exploration of the application of bioethical principles

 

NURS 426(3) Nursing and the Health of Communities

Study of epidemiological concepts as they relate to the health of Candadian communities. Application of concepts to the planning of health care programs. Open to other health sciences students with permission of instructor. Pre-requisite: 3rd or 4th year standing in Nursing. [3-0-0]

 

If I didn't list the course, the link to all nursing courses at UBC is:

 

www.school.nursing.ubc.ca...rses2.html

 

Thanks in advance!

[Guest soapyslicer]

Hi

 

I looked it up on my transcript and it is HCET 400. I took it in Jan 99 so it may be under another name now. I would just ask someone in the nursing department. It seems to fit 409B the closest. It was not just for nurses, they wanted as many people with backgrounds in healthcare in the class and split us up in the seminars so that there was a wide variety in each set.

 

Soapy

[Guest physiology]

Hey Soapyslicer,

 

I don't think I've ever replied 3x to the same person on this msg board. You're the first! haha..

 

Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll be sure to look into that.

 

It sounds really interesting, and I can see my hand going up lots to participate in the discussions. (Kinda like in elementary school when kids raise their quivering hand and go "oh oh oh, Mrs. Smith, I know the answer!")

 

I'm not that bad, but ya get the picture

[Guest EMHC]

Thank you for the insight. Just hope that MEDH 400 is similar to what it was when you took it!

 

Physiology:

 

Just out of curiousity, will you be considering/or have already registered for the Biomedical ethics course? I think it's PHIL 439 or something?8o Anyhow, did you take CHEM 205? How was that course? Any points in that course that you can shed some light on for me?

 

EMHC

[Guest physiology]

Hi EMHC,

 

No, I haven't considered the biomedical ethics course. Although it does look interesting. I'll look up on it.

 

I did take chem 205. I wasn't supposed to though because I took chem 203/204, which automatically classified me as a chem and/or bioc. I was supposed to take chem 201 (but too much math, and I hated math 200).

 

Because I took chem 203/204, the spectroscopy section in chem 205 was dead easy. You don't cover spectroscopy in chem 233.

 

I really liked chem 205 - I had Dr. Burnell who taught the TT 8 am sections.

[Guest EMHC]

Hi physiology

 

What I've heard from some ppl is that CHEM 205 is really math integrated and not a lot of chem (duh...it's physical chemistry )

 

Is what they say true though? Integral math etc etc.

 

EMHC

[Guest physiology]

Yes - they do have some integral calculus (particularly with the PV=nRT stuff.

 

But not to worry, math 101 is only a recommended course so there's NO integration on tests/exams at all. They do go over it in class.

 

Math 101 is only recommended as a pre-req so it'd be wrong for them to make us do calculus-based derivations (even though practically EVERYONE in that class has taken first year integral calculus)

[Guest mitchie41]

Don't they also use integral calculus for chem 123?

 

 

I remember that my instructor(McIntosh) used to derive some of the formulae for the physical chemsitry section with integral calc(especially all the sections pertaining to pressure-volume work)...but we were NEVER expected to know it for tests..

[Guest EMHC]

Thought 205 would be practically math based. I'm good with calculus and stuff hope that that course will be in my favour.

 

I've registered for Chem 205 and I've noticed that the 10-11 MWF class filled up first. Is it just mere coincidence because it fits on most ppl's schedule or is it because of the prof?

 

 

EMHC

[Guest mitchie41]

I registered for chem 205 too.

 

I think the 10-11 class filled up first because it was just convienient for everyone's timetable.

 

None of the chem 205 intructor's names are listed, and so i'm assuming that the instructor had nothing to do with it.

 

I'm in the 8am class, because it was either that or the 4-5 section with four classes in a row on my schedule.

 

It's really gonna bite, waking up at like 6am and commuting to UBC.

[Guest physiology]

Hi Mitchie,

 

The chem 205 10 am section fills up first because all the other section times suck. The chem 205 10 am section had a terrible prof last year.

 

The Tues/Thurs section at 8 am is probably going to be taught by Dr. Burnell. He's good.

 

The same thing happened with biol 200 last year (the 10 am section filled up first) and we got the WORST prof.

 

I talked to Dr. Berger, the guy in charge, and he initially restricted biol 200 registration (that's why the course says its full, even though it only has 150 students..ya know what I mean..).

 

This is prevent all the "smarter" people with earlier registration dates filling up one particular section.

[Guest mitchie41]

Who was yer Biol 200 prof last year physiology?

 

This year, I have Pante.

 

 

I dropped biol 201 outta my schedule. Everyone told me that it's SUPER TOUGH. And, a certain instructor(Everyone knows who i'm talking about right?)....who ALSO teaches biol 112....teaches biol 201, who makes the course sooooooooo tough.

 

i'm probably going to take biochem 300 in 3rd year or something like that to fullfill UBC Med's requirements.

[Guest BBB]

I found biol 201 far easier than biol 200. Basically, biol 201 is an introduction to upper biochemistry courses. If you take chem 205 concurrently, then biol 201 should be very easy. Plus, you don't have that long long long hour lab like biol 200. Just a short tutorial session. Less memorization too!

[Guest physiology]

Mitchie,

 

I had a terrible prof last year for biol 200. He isn't teaching this year, but it was the 10 am section.

 

If I could recommend a prof, I would say Dr. Berger, the course coordinator or Jennifer Shabbits (she's goodlooking too, I heard).

 

Pante - my friend had her, she's got an interesting accent. I would call it soothing - it has a nice Latino lilt.

 

Biol 201? I had the guy who you're talking about - Contrary to common propaganda about him, I think he was an excellent professor. Innovative, caring, and creative.

 

He came up with this AWESOME idea of making us pre-read and then dealing solely wtih questions in class. I really enjoyed that approach - it allowed me to preview the material, and then question him on material that I didn't understand.

 

HOWEVER, the rest of the class HATED that approach. He got some nasty emails from students, and he copied and pasted them onto this sheet and gave it to the whole class. Some of the comments were:

 

"I paid you to teach, so teach"

 

"I just made up some questions to fool you <we had to email him a question, that counted for 5% of our grade>, this approach is bull!#@$@#"

 

"I don't have time to pre-read"

 

When he handed out that sheet, my jaw just dropped. And the losers who posted those mean-spirited comments, remained, of course, anonymous.

 

And blah blah blah...It was realy disheartening for him, I could tell. In the end, he adopted a hybrid approach - lectures and question sessions, all integrated into one.

 

Biol 201 is a good course - do the problem sets and take the time to understand them - and you'll do fine. It's easier than it sounds I know. Surprisingly, most of the class didn't do it on time, like me, despite the fact that it says in his notes that understanding the problem sets is CRUCIAL to doing well, AND despite him telling us in BOLD face in the notes that it was of paramount importance to learn the problem sets.

 

(He said it a total of 3x I think)

 

Physiology