trauma elective Toronto, how are my chances

[dude]

Hi there

 

I am Swiss medical student and I am dreaming of a trauma surgery elective in Toronto. Does anybody know if trauma surgery is really hard to get into as an international student (the local students get in first) since there aren't too many electives offered in trauma surgery?

 

what about the months of July and August, are my chances a bit higher during that period?

 

any idea?

 

thanks for your help

 

dude

[EMD]

I met a bunch of a German med students from Mainz at U of T (and by interesting coincidence they knew some of the people I met when I was in Germany a few years ago). It is possible to arrange electives in Toronto as a foreign med student--provided you're in your final year of study.

 

You'll want to look here (GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR STUDENTS APPLYING FROM INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL SCHOOLS).

 

Does anybody know if trauma surgery is really hard to get into as an international student (the local students get in first) since there aren't too many electives offered in trauma surgery?

AFAIK, if you apply early enough... you'll get it. Any case, if it is your dream I'd say go for it.

[dude]

Hi there,

 

Could anybody tell me what I can expect a traumy surgery elective to be like?

 

Will I be mostly in the OR or more in the ER. I really dont want to spend 8 weeks in the OR holding hooks and stuff. The reason that I am choosing trauma surgery is that in Switzerland the trauma surgeons principally work in the ER and treat all kind of surgical patients but also the Polytraumatic ones. They also treat "their" patients on the wards and are the ones that lay a drain or stuff like this.

 

is this similar in Canada or is a trauma surgeon someone who only operates what is being sent to him by the emergency medicine doc (we dont have this speciality!)

 

the thing is that I do not want to hold hooks all the time. I rather spend time in the ER, treating surgical patiens.

 

thanks for any advice

 

Luca

[EMD]

AFAIK, surgeons work in the OR mostly... though they may also assist in the ED, e.g. when an emergency thoracatomy is required.

 

Here is a description of one of the surgical electives-- that says as much:

The student will be exposed to trauma and general surgery in a downtown trauma centre. The student will be a member of the general surgical team and will participate in patient care on the wards, in the ambulatory clinics, and in the operating room. The student will attend the weekly teaching sessions on the general surgery service. The student will also participate in the resuscitation of the trauma victim and in the care of the patient in the Trauma ICU.

 

The elective catalogue is here ( http://medsis.utoronto.ca/electives/index.cfm )-- there may be other electives that are similar.

[studentz]

If you'd rather be in the ER, you should consider an ER elective instead. The only 2 trauma centres in the UofT system are Sunnybrook (the largest in Canada) and St. Michael's, which handles all trauma in the downtown core.

 

Sunnybrook has an interesting system in which there are trauma team leaders, which may be an ER physician or a trauma surgeon. It's a great hospital with relatively few medical students so it would be a good location for you.