US Electives and Residencies

[Guest Lancet]

Hey Ian,

I was wondering if you could tell me if / how many UBC students do elective rotations in the states? Also, do you know how many UBC med students do residency programs in the states?

[Guest Ian Wong]

There's only two official time slots set up in the UBC curriculum to do international electives, and both of these month-long periods occur in the fall of Med 4 (although there are approximately 3 weeks off in the summer after Med 3 before the start of Med 4, where a third international elective could placed).

 

You could potentially fit in a few more electives during your summer months (full summers off after Med 1 and Med 2) although you probably lack the clinicall skill to really perform well here.

 

I think this year, probably 3-4 UBC med grads went down to the States for residency. I'm almost positive the number was at, or least than 5, which I think is fairly typical each year. We have 120 students in each class.

 

I think the bottom line is that if you have your heart set on a US residency, that more opportunities will present themselves if you attend a US medical school. However, Canada has residencies in virtually every specialty that the US does. For fellowships, the US certainly has more variety to offer.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3